Fated for Forever
by Darkness-Chill
Summary: What if Mithos was the older sibling and had died instead of Martel? Even the smallest rock creates the largest ripples
1. Twelve

Hi all! Welcome to the Tales of Symphonia story I've had planned for awhile! It took a lot of working through plot problems to get it done, but I think I can handle it, so I'm posting it up. Hope you enjoy! It's my first story in this category, but definitely not my first story.

Full Summary: Everyone knows the story of Lloyd and his companions saving the two worlds from Cruxis and recombining them to create one under the newly revived Great Tree. This time, follow Lloyd as he tries to save the worlds… from his Aunt Martel.

By the way, this story WILL follow the game's plotline in the beginning, loosely, but it'll start to shift away, and you'll see some very apparent differences. By the end, the two'll be nothing alike, I promise you.

Disclaimer: Only the idea is mine, nothing else. In case I forget the disclaimer in future chapters, remember it's here, okay?

Let's see how this goes, shall we?

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Chapter 1: Age 12.

Many legends exist in the land of Sylvarant. From the story of the end of the Kharlan War, Mithos and his companions, and Mithos's death to the revival of the world and the Chosen's journey, every historian knows that something never adds up. That one thing was what Raine Sage had dedicated 49 of her life to figuring out. (As for the rest of it, 50 was dedicated to finding that one ruin, and the last 1 to teaching.)

While the fact that the Chosen died at the end of his or her journey was not known by many, any self respecting researcher had known this particular fact longer than many of the other things they studied. Raine was one of these researchers. Her favorite subject of research was the journey of the Chosen and figuring out how it connected to the legends of Mithos and Martel.

Raine was suddenly jerked out of her thoughts and her research by a knock on the door. She put her pen don and stood up, striding over o the door and opening it swiftly, smiling at the brown haired woman standing there. "Hello Anna." Raine smiled, stepping to the side to let the green-eyed woman in.

"Sorry to disturb you." Anna said, stepping in and letting Raine close the door so the cold air wouldn't enter the otherwise warm house. "Have you seen Lloyd? His father's coming back today and Lloyd promised to help me cook dinner, but he's not home yet."

"Genis is with him, wherever he is…" Raine said, stopping to think for a moment, "They're probably at Dirk's." she concluded. She grabbed her jacket and staff and pulled the jacket on while saying, "If you're going to head over there, I'll come with you. I'm thinking of surprising Genis and making dinner tonight anyway."

Anna's eyes widened slightly in surprise and worry, but she covered the action faster than Raine could notice it. "I have an idea!" she thought quickly, "Why don't you and Genis come over for dinner tonight? Kratos would love to see you again. He's been gone for two weeks, after all." She actually had no idea whether or not Kratos actually wanted to see the two half-elves, but for the cause of saving Genis from Raine's cooking, she would pretend he did.

Raine smiled, "Thank you, Anna. That would be wonderful."

Anna smiled back, both with happiness and relief, "Alright then, now that we've settled that, let's go get the kids."

XXXX

Deep in Iselia Forest lived Dirk, a dwarf who had moved to the surface at one point in his life. He'd taken a liking to young Lloyd Aurion and his best friend Genis Sage, and the two kids visited him quite often. He'd heard they had another friend, a girl named Colette, but she was the Chosen of Mana, and therefore couldn't leave Iselia, so Dirk had never met her.

"Does this look right?" 12-year-old Lloyd asked Dirk, holding up the bracelet he'd been working on all afternoon.

Dirk looked the bracelet over, "'t looks perfect, Lloyd. Good job." Dirk grinned at the young boy.

Lloyd's smile got wider, "I hope Mom likes it." He said, pocketing the silver bracelet. Just as he was going to go outside to find Genis, who was probably practicing his magic, there was a knock at the door.

"Cm'in!" Dirk called out, as he continued to put his materials away.

Raine slipped open the door and she and Anna walked in.

"Ah, you are here." Raine said, noticing Lloyd.

"Mom!" Lloyd shouted, alarmed, as he saw his brown haired mother.

"Where's Genis?" Raine asked Lloyd.

Dirk answered for him, "'e's in the back." Raine nodded and left the house to find her brother as Anna walked over to her son.

"Lloyd, did you forget that your father was coming home today?" she asked her son in a stern, but kind voice.

"Sorry, Mom." Lloyd said, looking down, "I was working on something."

Anna sighed, "Well, I invited Raine and Genis to dinner to save Genis from his sister's cooking. Dirk, you're welcome to come as well."

Dirk shook her head, "Nah, 've got stuff t' do." He said, "Thanks f'r the offer."

Anna smiled, "Alright. Lloyd, let's get going."

Lloyd nodded and turned back to Dirk, "Thanks again, Dirk!" he grinned.

"'nytime, Lloyd." Dirk waved.

XXXX

"Shouldn't you be getting home? You promised Anna you'd come back today, didn't you?" A female voice carried across a large room. The female was sitting at a computer, typing rather fast, her fingers not wavering even as she spoke, due to years of practice. The dimly lit room was only mainly illuminated by the light of several computers, only two of which were currently occupied.

"As soon as the core system finishes." A male voice replied. The male was sitting at a computer on the opposite side of the room as the female, and while he wasn't typing, he was reading over a document of some sort.

There was the sound of a chair sliding across the floor and stamped footsteps and moments later, the green-haired female was whirling the male's chair around to face her. "The core system is a piece of CRAP, Kratos." She stated, bluntly and abruptly, as was her nature, "At the rate it's been working for the last 4000 years, it won't reach an answer for another 3. Remind me to get Yuan to finally upgrade the system, will you?"

"It's at 96. It'll only be a couple more hours, at most." Kratos simply stated, disregarding everything his companion had said.

The female closed her eyes, pausing for a few seconds so she wouldn't blurt out something she'd regret, and then finally spoke up, "Kratos, you haven't seen Anna in two weeks." She said, "And I know for a fact how Anna gets when she gets angry." The female's voice was getting louder and sterner, "I'll send Yuan down with the core system's answer when it's done, but a little fairy told me your wife's BIRTHDAY is tomorrow and she's making you dinner tonight, so go! Gogogogogogogogogogo!"

Kratos hopped up, his eyes wide, "Alright, alright." He said, "I'm going. You're coming down for dinner tomorrow, correct? Anna and Lloyd would love to see you." Unlike Anna when inviting Raine and Genis over, Kratos actually DID know this was the truth. Lloyd adored the girl, and she and Anna had bonded quickly to become good friends.

The female smiled, "I'll be there." She said, "Now go!!"

Kratos chuckled, "See you tomorrow, Martel." With that, the seraphim left.

16-year-old (looking) Martel grinned after Kratos and walked back over to her computer, sighing as she pulled up the window with the core system's progress bar in it. "96.2. Stupid core system…"

XXXX

"Dad!" Lloyd broke away from his mother and ran over to give his father a hug.

"Hello, Lloyd." Kratos chuckled as the boy latched himself to his father's middle. Anna sauntered over. Raine had said that she and Genis would be over once Genis had changed. The young half-elf's clothes had gotten covered in dirt, as per usual whenever he went to Dirk's and was practicing magic.

"Hello, Kratos. Welcome home." Anna said, giving her husband a kiss.

"What's for dinner?" Kratos asked, as Lloyd finally released his hold on him.

Anna shrugged, "I haven't started it yet." She explained, "Raine and Genis are coming over in a few minutes, so you can entertain them until dinner's done." She poked Kratos's shoulder.

Kratos chuckled again, "Of course." He said.

"Hey, if you're going to complain, I'll order from somewhere, or… I'll have Raine cook." Anna threatened.

"I'm not complaining." Kratos said, "When did I complain?"

XXXX

From her bedroom window, 11-year-old Colette Brunel watched the happy family with a sigh.

"Colette?" her mother's voice called. The woman approached her daughter from behind, "Are you alright, dear?"

Colette turned around, "I'm fine, mother." She assured her mother dismissively.

After a pause, Colette's mother spoke up again, "Alright." She said, not fully believing her daughter, but letting it go, "Dinner's almost ready, so go get washed up."

"Yes, mother." Colette nodded, rushing out of the room and into the bathroom.

Colette's mother took a look out the window to try and figure out who Colette had been watching. "What's despairing you so, my child?" she muttered softly, sighing, before turning and leaving the room.

XXXX

Nestled in the mountains of Latheon Gorge lived the Elven Storyteller, an elf who dedicated his life to preserving the tales of times past and sharing them with those who happened upon his abode. However, visitors were rare, and so the Elven Storyteller spent a lot of time alone. But, that was okay. He liked the calmness and serenity of the Gorge, and enjoyed the fact that the nature was virtually untouched. It created an atmosphere that made it easy to preserve stories and legends.

Wandering over to the racks of stories documented by past Storytellers, he pulled out his favorite. He knew he should have been working on documenting more tales, but he always loved reading other tales.

"Mithos the Hero…" the Storyteller muttered, opening the scroll of Mana Cloth and beginning to read. Though the majority of the world knew the story a different way, that Mithos the Hero made a pact with the Goddess Martel shortly before he died to save the worlds, the true story went much differently. He enjoyed the true story much more.

Mithos was a half-elf, banished from Heimdall with his younger sister, Martel in his care. He and his companions, Kratos Aurion, who he considered his teacher, though they were the same age, and Yuan, whom he really didn't get along with that well, traveled the world trying to stop the War that was going on between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.

Martel grew up looking to the three men as role models and guides, and became over-dependent on her older brother as he made pacts with Summon Spirits. She was kind and very caring, and wished for the people of the world to stop their discrimination against half-elves.

When the war became too much for the Great Tree and died, Mithos and his companions, seeing no other way, made a pact with Origin and split the worlds in two to preserve what little mana was left. The system seemed okay, at least until the Great Seed was able to germinate and grow into a new tree, but everything changed when Mithos was murdered by a group of humans.

As his last wish, he asked Origin to transfer control of the Eternal Sword to his younger sister Martel, and the Summon Spirit did so. Martel was so saddened by the loss of her brother that she began to research a way to bring him back, truly believing that she would be doing the right thing for both herself and the world. A months later, Cruxis appeared, stole the Great Seed, which had Mithos's spirit within it, and began the lineage of the Chosen.

Headed by Martel, Kratos, and Yuan, Cruxis was a small organization of half-elves who had transformed themselves into "angels" using Cruxis Crystals. They had a few underlings, Remiel and Pronyma being two of them, but the number of "Cruxis Angels" usually stayed under 10. They operated off of Derris Kharlan, continually sacrificing Chosens to become the vessel for Mithos, though none worked. Martel was determined to bring her brother back. And when she did, she would germinate the Great Tree using the Eternal Sword and break up Cruxis. That was her plan.

The Storyteller put the scroll back on its rack, standing up and glancing outside at the sun, which was about to set behind the mountains. He'd been distracted for almost an hour, reading the details of Mithos and Martel. Taking a deep breath, he headed back to his own work, making a mental note to get up a little earlier the next morning and make up for lost time.

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It's a shortish first chapter, but it introduces the story, I think. If you're confused, don't worry, it'll all be cleared up next chapter, I hope. It's not easy introducing this storyline, so I hope it works. Cross your fingers!

Urm, what else? Right! If you have any questions, just ask, I answer almost every question thrown my way. The pairings aren't really final yet, with the exception of Kranna, so throw some pairing ideas my way! And Yuan and Martel's relationship is still being worked out, so keep those two out of pairings for a bit, if possible.

I can't believe I actually finished this chapter. It wasn't easy to write. Grr. I'll just post it now.

Reviews keep me inspired!

**I edited this chapter and added the Elven Storyteller scene. After I wrote it I realized it was much better placed at the end of this chapter instead of the beginning of the next one.**


	2. Fifteen

I rarely write before-the-chapter author's notes after the first chapter of a story, but this is important.

**I EDITED CHAPTER 1 WITH A NEW SCENE AT THE END THAT EXPLAINS THE PLOTLINE. GO READ IT BEFORE STARTING THIS CHAPTER. GO. NOW. HAVE YOU LEFT YET? DON'T MAKE ME GET KRATOS IN HERE.**

It was too confusing, so I added that scene. As I said at the end of the last chapter, I realized it fit much better at the end of the last chapter than at the beginning of this one after I wrote it, so I went ahead and added it in there. I hope it clears the confusion, and sorry for making it so confusing beforehand.

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Chapter 2- Age 15

"Genis, catch!" 15-year-old Lloyd tossed a ball across the open stretch of land that the kids were standing in. Just barely out of the town limits of Iselia, Lloyd, Genis, and Colette were passing a ball around, having fun, on a Saturday afternoon. Anna had practically kicked Lloyd out of the house, so he had gone and begged Colette's mother and grandmother to let her go play with them. Having seen the effect playing with her friends had on the young Chosen, the two agreed, so, after picking up Genis, the trio had headed out to play.

While the rules surrounding Colette were still strict, her mother had loosened them a bit after that night she had found Colette at the window, realizing that Colette needed to spend the 16 years she HAD having as much fun as she wanted to. Phaidra had been hesitant at first, but agreed, so Colette spent a lot more of her time outside after that.

Genis clumsily caught the ball, as he wasn't really the best at sports, and chucked it in Colette's direction. The blond Chosen reached up her arms to try and catch the ball, but ended up tripping over her own feet and falling backwards. Right before she would have hit the ground, a pair of steady arms caught her.

"Hey, you alright?" A female voice asked the clumsy girl, helping her get steady again on her feet.

"Y-yes, I'm fine." Colette said, putting a hand to her head and closing her eyes for a moment so things would stop spinning. When she opened them again, she saw the green-haired-girl, Martel, smiling at her.

"I'm glad. Wouldn't have been good if you'd gotten hurt." She smiled.

Lloyd and Genis, who had only now made it over to Colette, since they had been really spread out on the field, noticed Martel at that moment. Lloyd ran over to her, grinning, "Hey!!" he shouted.

Martel smiled and waved at Lloyd. Lloyd was under strict orders from his mother and father to never say Martel's name. People knew about Martel, though as a goddess, and believers of the Church of Martel thought of it as sacrilegious to name a child "Martel". Therefore, when Martel came down to visit Lloyd and his family they avoided situations where her name would have to be said.

"What are you doing here?" Lloyd asked, surprised.

"You know her, Lloyd?" Colette asked, looking back and forth from the 16-year-old to the 15-year-old and back to the 16-year-old.

Lloyd nodded. Martel answered for him, "I'm a friend of his mother's." she said, as it would be odder for Kratos to know a 16-year-old girl than Anna. "And to answer your question, Lloyd, I came for a visit, and Anna wanted me to tell you that your father's home and wants to see you."

Lloyd's face lit up, "Dad's back?!" he shouted, a grin appearing on his face.

Martel nodded.

Three seconds later, Lloyd was gone, taking back off toward the village.

Martel giggled.

"I'm Colette and this is Genis." Colette introduced herself and the younger boy. "Thank you for helping me."

Martel smiled, "It's no problem, Colette." She said, "Well, I'd better be going. Anna said something about dinner, and I'm hungry. I hope I can see you around!" With that said, she hurried off after Lloyd.

Genis glanced at Colette, "Hey, did you get her name?" the half-elf asked his friend.

Colette thought for a moment, "No, I don't think so. But, that's okay! She must have just forgotten to introduce herself! I know I forget things when I'm hungry!"

Genis glanced up at Colette, "Somehow, I don't think that was it." He muttered.

XXXX

When Lloyd made it back to the house, he didn't just see his father there waiting for him, Yuan was there as well, lounging on a couch, talking to Anna as she put some snacks on the table.

"Are we having a party or something?" Lloyd asked, as he entered the house, surprised to see Yuan.

"You could say that." Kratos said, "A large get-together more than a party, but it's Colette's 15th birthday next week, and Yuan, Martel, and I are going to be busy. Anna wanted to do something special for her, and has been taking to Phaidra about throwing a party here for a while now. So, we planned it for this week instead of next week."

Martel grinned as she walked in, "Yup! So, we're all here."

"Thanks for getting Lloyd, Martel." Anna said, smiling at the angel.

Martel smiled back.

"So, who's coming, then?" Lloyd asked, getting a drink from the kitchen and walking out to sit on one of the other couches.

"Phaidra, Veronica, and Frank are bringing Colette over later. Raine said she'd be here soon to set up, and a lot of Colette's friends are coming. It's a surprise, though, so that's why you weren't told before today." Anna said.

Martel giggled at the look on Lloyd's face, which screamed, "Are you implying something?"

"So, wait, if there are that many people here, won't you have to introduce yourself, Aunt Martel?" Lloyd asked her.

"That's what we were talking about before you got back." Yuan said, "She needs to think of an alias."

"Yeah, but I need to respond to whatever I choose." Martel said, "That's the hard part."

"Then keep it similar to your name." Anna suggested, sitting down next to her husband as Martel took a seat on the arm of one of the couches, "Make it start with 'M.' Kratos, do we still have that old baby-name book?"

Kratos shrugged.

"I think we do. Lloyd, I think it's on the bookshelf in my bedroom. Could you go get it?" Anna asked her son, who put down his drink and hurried up the stairs.

"You have a baby name book?" Yuan asked Kratos, glancing over.

Kratos glared at his friend.

"Here you go." Lloyd handed the book over to Anna and sat back down.

Anna flipped through the pages until she found the female "M" names. "Hmm… How about… Melia?" Anna suggested.

Martel thought for a minute, "I don't think I'd respond to Melia." She said, sighing.

Yuan snatched the book from Anna's hands and looked through the names, "Melantha?" he suggested.

Martel grabbed a throw pillow and chucked it at Yuan's head. Kratos grabbed the book while Yuan was distracted and looked through the names himself.

"There's always Melissa." Kratos said.

Anna glanced in the book, "Doesn't that mean 'honey-bee'?" she asked.

Kratos nodded.

Martel spoke up again, "Nah, I couldn't respond to 'Melissa'. Next?"

Lloyd stole the book from his parents and looked through it, "Most of these are really different than her name. This might not work. How about we just think of a nickname for her and go from there?"

"Yuan and I used to call her 'Mar'." Kratos said.

"Add an 'A' at the end and you get 'Mara', which is different enough to be accepted." Anna said.

"Mara." Martel tried the name out, "Alright, that works!" she grinned, "Mara it is."

Anna smiled, taking the book back from her son and putting it on the table just as there was a knock at the door. She stood up to answer the door and found Raine standing there, soaked from head to toe.

"Are you alright, Raine?" Anna asked as Martel leapt up to get a towel from the bathroom.

"One of Genis's spells went wrong." Raine explained, "Just as I knocked on the door." She graciously took the towel Martel offered her. "I should probably go home and change…"

"Don't worry about it." Anna cut her off, "I'm sure I have something you can borrow. Come on in." Anna led the woman to her bedroom to find her some clothes.

"I'll go find Genis." Lloyd said, standing up and hurrying out.

XXXX

It was about two hours later that all of the guests had arrived and everyone was ready to surprise Colette. Anna had overdone it with the cooking, having forgotten that Martel, Yuan, and Kratos didn't eat, so she was practically forcing food down peoples throats as she walked around the room. Lloyd and Genis were talking with a bunch of kids that had come, and the parents, no matter how few were actually there (the number was under 10) were mingling together while keeping an eye on the kids.

A knock on the door silenced everyone in the room. Anna flicked the lights off as she hurried to the door, opening it. As Colette, Phaidra, Frank, and Veronica entered, Kratos turned the lights on and everyone shouted "SURPRISE!"

Needless to say, Colette had a nice group of friends and a good time that night.

It was about an hour later that Lloyd noticed Colette had disappeared from the living room and went to find her. Finding her standing by Noishe's pen, petting the protozoan, Lloyd walked over.

"Hey. Not having fun at the party?" Lloyd asked.

Colette jumped, "Lloyd! Oh, no, it's nothing like that! I was having lots of fun! I just wanted to get some fresh air, that's all!" she said.

Lloyd shook his head, "No, I can tell you're lying. What's wrong, Colette?"

Colette sighed, and looked back at Noishe, who whined and rubbed his head against Colette's cheek. Colette giggled a bit.

"Colette, you can talk to me, you know." Lloyd moved to stand next to Colette.

Colette turned to face him again, "I know I can. But really, nothing's wrong! I'm fine." She said, "I've just had a long day."

Lloyd knew she was still lying but dropped the subject much like Colette's mother often had to. "Alright, if you insist. But you should come back inside. It's getting kind of cold out here."

"I'll come in." Colette said, "But go ahead. I'll only be a few more moments."

Lloyd paused, but nodded, heading inside. Colette turned to Noishe, "Oh, Lloyd, I wish I could tell you, but… I don't want you to worry." She sighed, "I don't want you to stop me… because if you did, I don't think I'd be able to go through with it."

Little did she know, Lloyd already knew everything that happened at the end of the Chosen's journey. In fact, he knew more than Colette herself did.

"Only one more year." Colette muttered, shutting her eyes and sighing again. A moment later, she put on a happy mask and headed back inside.

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I feel sad now. Poor Colette!!

Next chapter will start the actual plotline and reach the beginning of where it starts in the game. Don't expect updates to always come out this fast. I had a lot of computer time and inspiration this weekend, so I got both of these chapters done, but that doesn't happen very often, if Secrets is any example. I can usually update once every two weeks or so.

Well, gotta post this. Happy Mother's Day to any mothers out there.

Oh, and I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

Reviews keep me inspired!


	3. Annoyance

"Please?"

"No! I've said 'no' six times already TODAY, Lloyd. Stop asking me!"

"Pretty please?"

"Go to your room, young man!" Anna stamped her foot, looking very childish as she pointed up the stairs. 17-year-old Lloyd's face fell and he walked up the stairs and out of sight. Anna sighed once her son was gone; he'd been impossible lately. Colette's birthday was in two days and Lloyd was dead-set on going on the Regeneration Journey with her. "Dammit Kratos, this would be so much easier if you were here…"

"What would be easier?" Kratos's voice asked from the door.

Anna whirled around to see her husband standing in the doorway. "Kratos!" she called, happily, running over and practically glomping him to the floor.

Once Kratos regained his balance, he spoke again, "So, what would be easier?" he asked his wife.

Anna sighed again, "Lloyd wants to go on the Regeneration journey." Anna explained, "He's been asking me NONSTOP for the last two weeks about it."

"You told him 'no', right?" Kratos asked.

"Of course!" Anna threw her hands up into the air, sighing in exasperation, "Multiple times. He's in his room right now." There was a momentary pause, "Hey, wait. I thought you said you had so much to do before the journey started that you'd be swamped for days and might not make it back until Colette's ACTUAL birthday?" Anna questioned, suddenly confused.

"Martel kicked me out." Kratos said, simply.

"What did you do?" Anna's eyes widened. She tried to imagine Kratos annoying Martel so much that the Cruxis leader would kick him off of Derris Kharlan two days before the beginning of a Regeneration Journey.

"I think something I said ended up being the straw that broke the camel's back." Kratos said.

"Hmm?"

XXX-Earlier, on Derris Kharlan-XXX

"Stupid core system…" Martel growled, letting her head fall limply to rest on top of the keyboard.

"You'll screw it up even more if you continue that." Kratos said, smoothly from the other side of the room.

Martel stood up, silent, before exploding, "THAT'S IT. IT MUST BE YOUR BROODING, PESSIMISTIC NATURE SLOWING THE CORESYSTEM DOWN!"

Kratos blinked.

Yuan slid down further in his chair, out of sight from the enraged Martel.

"OUT! GET THE HELL OUT! JUST GO BACK TO ISELIA! SPEND SOME TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY BEFORE THE JOURNEY STARTS!" Martel screamed, pointing at the door, much like Anna had done with the stairs at probably the same moment down in Sylvarant.

Kratos attempted to protest, but Martel cut him off by quickly pushing him out the door. "GO!"

Once the door slid shut on a confused Kratos, Martel took a deep breath of relief. She walked over to the side of the large computer that was the coresystem and flipped a switch. The core system suddenly kicked into action and started working at a relatively better, though still not really that great, pace.

"You're not the best actor. What a stupid reason to throw him out." Yuan commented.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it? He's gone to see Anna, so what does it matter? And don't comment or you'll be next." Martel shot.

Yuan simply shook his head and went back to work.

XXX-Back with the Aurions-XXX

By this point in Kratos's story, Anna was practically rolling on the floor with laughter, tears threatening to escape her eyes at any moment. While Kratos didn't know what had happened in the room after he had been pushed out, even just his part of the story had been enough to crack Anna up.

Lloyd, wondering that the hysterical-like sound coming from below his bedroom was, poked his head out into the living room, even though he was still supposed to be in his room. His eyes widening as he saw his father, he shouted, "Dad!" running towards him.

"Hello, Lloyd." Kratos said, nodding to his son.

"Dad, can I go on the Regeneration Journey?" Lloyd went straight to pestering his father on the same subject he'd been bugging his mother about earlier.

Anna, who had calmed down by this point, simply sighed and shook her head.

"Absolutely not." Kratos stated, "And stop pestering your mother."

Lloyd opened his mouth to say something, but Kratos cut him off.

"And don't START pestering me." Kratos warned.

Lloyd's mouth slammed shut.

Suddenly, in the middle of the conversation, there was a knock at the door. Anna, being the closest, wiped the hysterical tears from her eyes and swung it open. Colette and Genis were standing there, identical smiles on their faces as they chirped in unison, "Hi, Mrs. Aurion!"

"Hello Genis, Colette." Anna opened the door further, allowing the two to walk into the living room.

"Lloyd!" Genis exclaimed upon seeing his friend, "Can you come outside? I wanna show you my new spell!"

Anna and Kratos both turned to their son, "Well. This is quite a predicament." Anna said, smoothly.

"Come on, please?" Lloyd asked his parents.

"Stop asking us about that thing you've been asking us about, and yes." Kratos said.

After a brief moment of thought, Lloyd sighed and nodded, "Fine. I won't ask."

Anna smiled, "Then have fun."

Lloyd grinned and he, Colette, and Genis ran out the door, pulling it shut behind them.

Anna turned to her husband after the kids were gone, "There is one thing I'm worried about." She said.

"Hmm?" Kratos asked.

"What if he decides to follow on his own?" Anna asked, sighing and shutting her eyes.

Kratos walked over, putting a hand on his wife's shoulder, "If he follows Colette on his own, he'll have to deal with me."

Anna looked at her husband and smiled.

XXXX

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGG!" Martel screamed as loud as she could (which was pretty loud; Yuan could hear her and he was in the Records Hall.), "I never should have sent Kratos away! We're getting nothing done! We're running out of time! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!"

Yuan, who had apparently sprinted to Martel's location from the Records Hall, tossed a file to the "young" angel. "There's that information you were looking for. The core system just finished and Remiel still needs to be briefed." Yuan explained.

Martel flipped through the file, not quite calm, but definitely calmer that minutes earlier, "Thanks." She said, "Go brief Remiel. I've still got a lot of work to do and I don't really like that guy."

Yuan nodded and walked away.

Martel's attention was back in the file when Pronyma walked over, speaking, "Lady Martel, is there anything I can help with?"

Martel looked up at the half-elf, "Pronyma! Hey." She said, smiling, "Just go print out the Coresystem's anger for me, okay?"

Pronyma nodded, "Yes, Lady Martel." She turned to leave, but Martel's voice stopped her.

"And Pronyma?" Pronyma turned to see Martel standing right behind her.

"Yes, Lady Martel?" she asked.

Martel raised her file and bonked Pronyma on the head, "You've been with us for almost 3000 years now. STOP CALLING ME LADY MARTEL." With that, the leader turned back to her file. Pronyma simply turned and left the room.

XXXX

"ICICLE!" The ice spell burst up from the ground, breaking the rock it was cast on.

"That's awesome, Genis!" Lloyd grinned, high-fiving his friend.

"Lloyd, what were you asking your parents about?" Colette asked, as the trio headed towards Genis's house.

Lloyd sighed, "Well, I wanted to go on the World Regeneration Journey with you, but they don't want me to. Professor Sage is going, my dad is going, you're going." He turned to Colette, "I wanted to go too."

"Lloyd, the Journey I difficult and very dangerous!" Colette cried, trying to make up some, any excuse to keep her friend from coming with her.

"I know." Lloyd sighed, "But I wanted to be there."

Colette looked away.

XXXX

In a small outcropping in the Iselia Forest, a red-haired muscular half-elf tuned to the various assorted half-elves in front of him.

"Are there any questions?" he asked.

"Yeah, I have one." A half-elf towards the front of the group spoke up, raising a hand slightly. "Why did we choose Iselia?"

The leader half-elf rolled his eyes, "There aren't any major towns anywhere near Iselia. If we strike Iselia we can get away before any troops from Triet can get anywhere NEAR here so we won't get caught."

"But will it really be much of a blow to the Government?" That same curious half-elf spoke up again.

The leader growled, "It will be enough of a blow. Not get ready- we strike in three days and we still have a lot to do."

XXXX

Two days later, on the Day of Prophecy, Raine was teaching her normal class. "Now, can anyone tell me why the Chosen goes on her journey?" Raine asked, walking down one of the aisles between the rows of desks. Genis, Colette and another student all raised their hand. Raine turned to the other student, since Genis and Colette had been answering questions all afternoon, "Yes, Marian?"

Marian stood up, "The Chosen goes on her journey to restore mana to Sylvarant." She answered smoothly.

"Right." Raine said. Marian sat back down, and Raine readied another question, "Now can anyone tell me…" Raine was cut off by a bright light. The children began chattering, excited. "Calm down. I'll head to the Chapel and make sure it's the Oracle. Stay here and study by yourselves." The teacher put her book down on her desk and headed for the door.

"Professor, should I come?" Colette asked the Professor, running towards the door.

"No, Colette. Wait here. If it IS the Oracle, the priests will come for you." Raine said, before dashing out the door.

XXXX

At the Aurion house, Kratos and Anna turned to each other as the light shined.

"Be careful, Kratos." Anna said, leaning up to kiss him.

"I will." Kratos assured her after he broke the simple kiss. With that, he walked out of the house to check the chapel, much like Raine had moments earlier.

XXXX

Thump. Thump.

"Stop it, Lloyd." Genis said.

Thump. Thump.

"Lloyd, that's really annoying." Genis spoke up again.

Thump. Thump.

"LLOYD! Stop banging your foot against the wall!" Genis finally lost it, after three minutes of constant noise.

Lloyd's eyes widened and he stopped, "Sorry, Genis."

"I'm getting worried." Colette said, gazing out the window, "Professor Sage should have been back by now, or at least one of the priests."

Lloyd turned to the blond, "Well, let's go to the Chapel, then." He hopped up.

"But Lloyd, Raine said to stay here." Genis complained.

"Yeah, but Colette's the Chosen. She has to go anyway. And we can't let her go alone- she might get hurt." Lloyd grinned.

"Ugh." Genis let his head fall into his hands.

"Well let's go." Lloyd grinned even wider.

XXXX

Kratos made it to the Chapel to see Phaidra talking to a priest. "Ah, Kratos." The priestess spoke up upon seeing the man, "Is the Chosen with you?" she asked.

Kratos shook his head, "She's still at the schoolhouse." He glanced back at Iselia in the distance, "Never mind." He corrected himself, "She's on her way here."

"Is she alone?" Phaidra asked, concerned. She blamed the fact that she couldn't see her granddaughter coming on her old age, not even considering that Kratos might have angel senses. No one knew that but Anna and Lloyd.

"No, it seems Lloyd and Genis are with her." Kratos said.

After a pause, Phaidra spoke, "Well, I supposed we'll wait here for them, then." She said.

Kratos nodded.

Suddenly, a group of uniform-clad half-elves appeared on the scene. The leader, a muscular half-elf with brown hair stepped forward and pointed his sword at Phaidra. In a clear British accent, he spoke, "Hand over the Chosen, or the woman dies."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hmmmmm... Is that still considered a cliffhanger if you've played the game?

Well, just to clear something up, Yuan and the Renegades have no affiliation with each other in this story. I think it's made clear in the next chapter, but one can never be too sure, so I thought I'd mention it.

Also, concerning the Desians, there are none. Pronyma works under Martel, but she's the only one of the Cardinals who still has ties to Cruxis. Also, Pronyma's a bit different in this story. Keep in mind how loyal she was to Mithos in the actual game, then apply that loyalty to Martel. Also keep in mind that the bulk of Cruxis is guys and Martel's pretty much caught in the middle.

Also, I don't own Tales of Symphonia. I DO own Marian, but this is the only chapter she's in, so I really shouldn't even mention that.

Reviews keep me inspired! Seriously, 2 reviews a chapter is nice, but when I get over a hundred hits I know someone besides the two reviewers has been reading. Hee. Anyway, reviews are nice. See you all next chapter.


	4. Foreshadow

Lloyd, Colette and Genis hurried in the direction of the temple, their pace as fast at it could be as they continually stopped to beat down monster after monster after monster. According to Colette it was part of the trial, but it was starting to just be annoying.

"Ugh, not more monsters…" Lloyd whined.

"I knew you'd get bored." Genis smirked, readying his kendama as the zombie and ghost charged over. He started casting to defeat the ghost as Lloyd and Colette dove in to take care of the zombie. Breathing heavily once the battle was over, the trio took off towards the temple once again.

XXXX

"Hand over the Chosen, or the lady dies." The brown haired half-elf was completely serious about chopping off Phaidra's head as he stood there, sword at the priestess's neck.

"The Chosen is not here yet." Kratos said, calmly, "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't hand her over.

The half-elf continued to glare, moving his sword even closer to Phaidra's neck.

Kratos, silently and with no indication, thought through his options- let Phaidra die and not reveal himself or risk revealing himself to save her.

Moments later he'd made his decision.

With a speed unknown to a human or elf, Kratos grabbed his sword and knocked the half-elf's away. Phaidra, as soon as she'd realized what had happened, dashed into the chapel and began to the shut the large doors. She barely got them shut before any of the half-elves would have reached her.

"You Renegades need to learn to stop getting in our way." Kratos sneered.

The Renegade, the leader, presumably, smirked.

XXXX

Lloyd, Colette and Genis paused for a moment upon reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Something's going on up there." Colette commented. Then she gasped, "Grandmother's up there! We have to hurry!"

Lloyd and Genis nodded and the three tore up the stairs, finding a new burst of strength.

"Dad!" Lloyd shouted upon seeing his father attempting to beat down the group of Renegades. Kratos's eyes flickered over, but he said nothing as Lloyd, Genis and Colette dove into battle.

Minutes later, Kratos had his sword at the leader's throat for a change.

"Damn..." The leader cursed.

"If you retreat now, I'll spare your life." Kratos said, even through he knew Martel wouldn't like it much. He couldn't bring himself to murder the man in front of his son.

The man stood up, "Fine." He said, "But this isn't the last you've heard of me." He ran down the stairs, the surviving Renegades on his heels.

Kratos sheathed his sword and turned to his son and friends, "Are any of you hurt?"

Lloyd shook his head while Colette chirped, "I'm fine!" and Genis simply said, "Nah."

"Good." Kratos said. The immense chapel doors were opening now, and Phaidra was exiting.

"Grandmother!" Colette shouted, relieved her grandmother was alright.

"Thank Martel you've alright, Colette." Phaidra breathed a sigh of relief much like her granddaughter had a second earlier.

"Colette, it's best you head into the trail now before we're atteacked again. I'll accompany you."

"I'll come too!" Lloyd said.

"Lloyd, your mother and I already said—" Kratos was cut off my his son speaking again.

"If you won't let me come on the journey, the least you can do is let me come through the chapel with you." He said, crossing his arms.

Kratos sighed, "Fine." He said.

"Come on Genis." Lloyd smiled at his friend.

"W-what? Me too?" Genis asked.

"Well, we can't just leave you out here alone! What if they come back?" Lloyd grinned.

Kratos sighed again, '_This is going to be a long day.'_

XXXX

"Things always get so peaceful around here when there's a trial going on." Martel smiled. She was sitting in the room where the Great Seed was stored, talking to her brother. "I'm sure this one will work! It HAS to! And with Kratos there, those limy Renegades won't get in the way. I'll have you back soon, brother. I'm promise!"

There was a knock.

"Yeah?" Martel called out.

Yuan walked in, "Martel, the Renegades attacked Kratos at the chapel." He said, "We're following their escape path."

"Kratos spared them?" Martel asked, hopping down from her perch.

"Lloyd was there." Yuan said.

Martel nodded.

"What should we do?" Yuan asked.

"Send someone… Pronyma to follow them at a distance and find their hideout. We'll handle the rest once we know what floorboard the rats are hiding under."

Yuan nodded and left the room.

XXXX

Kratos NEVER should have agreed to let Lloyd and Genis come along. Though Colette seemed a little more relaxed with them around, Lloyd and Genis had never been in a situation even similar to the trial before, and without using his angel techniques, Kratos was not fit to protect three people.

Genis tended to stay towards the back during battles, so Kratos was able to cast Guardian to shield him if need be. Colette's weapons were ranged, so she didn't really need to be within arm's length of a monster to do damage.

Lloyd, on the other hand, fought with his twin swords, so not only did he have to be right up and close to the momster, but die to the lack of time that Kratos had actually spent at home and Anna's lack of reliable skill with anything sharp or pointed, Lloyd's skill with his swords was rather limited. Kratos found himself casting first aid on Lloyd more often than he actually caused damage to the monsters.

Not only that, but once out of battle, Lloyd was loud, chatting happily with Colette and Genis. He was obnoxiously peppy and though he was Kratos's son, Kratos could help but twitch several times during the trek through the templ.

Luckily, they were almost done.

XXXX

"Yuaaaaaaaannn!" Martel shouted, looking for the blue-haired half-elf.

"Mmm?" Yuan asked, walking over.

"Is Remiel ready?" Martel asked.

Yuan nodded, "Yes."

"No Renegades around?" Martel asked.

Yuan shook his head, "Pronyma's still tracking them- they're heading towards Triet." Yuan explained.

"Okay." Martel smiled, "I'm heading to my room. Call me if there's a problem."

Yuan nodded.

Once Martel was gone, Yuan couldn't help but smile.

XXXX

"We're leaving in the morning, Colette." Kratos told Colette as the two walked back to the village. Lloyd and Genis had been stopped by Raine, so Kratos had taken Colette on ahead.

Colette nodded, "Okay." Kratos walked up to Colette's front door and followed her into the house.

"Hello Veronica, Frank." Kratos said, nodding to Colette's parents.

"Thank you for keeping her safe, Kratos." Frank said, as Veronica hugged her daughter.

"You'll be accompanying Colette on her journey, right?" Veronica asked.

Kratos nodded, "I plan to."

Lloyd walked in at that point, Genis behind him. Colette ran over. "Were you in trouble?!" she asked, worried.

Lloyd chuckled, "Not too much, Colette. Don't worry."

Colette sighed in relief. "I'm sorry."

XXXX

Anna looked her husband over, "Are you hurt at all?"

"For the last time, Anna, I'm fine." Kratos insisted.

"Oh, those meanie Renegades. Lloyd's fine too, right? Where is he?" Anna asked, looking around for her son.

"Calm down, Anna. Lloyd is fine as well." Kratos said, pulling her into a hug.

"Anna sighed, "I'm sorry I'm so frantic, but I'm worried about you…"

"I'll be fine, Anna. I always am." Kratos said.

"I knowwww… but…" she sighed, "I just have a bad feeling."

"I can understand that." Kratos nodded, "Something has been weird in the air lately."

XXXX

"Man, I wish I could come with you." Lloyd frowned, as he sat outside Colette's house with her. Genis had gone home a few minutes earlier, not wanting to get Raine any angrier than she already was.

"I know, but…" Colette sighed, "I don't want you hurt either."

"Why does everyone keep saying I'll get hurt? I won't get hurt!" Lloyd shouted, "Colette, I know…"

He was cut off by Anna calling to him from the window, "Lloyd! Time to come in!"

Lloyd twitched.

"You… know…?" Colette echoed.

"It's nothing. Never mind." Lloyd stood up.

"Are you sure?" Colette asked.

Lloyd nodded, "Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow before you leave."

"Alright…" Colette said.

"Oh, and Colette?" Lloyd asked, turning back.

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday." He handed over a small package before leaving, walking back to his house without glancing back.

Colette opened the package, revealing a gold necklace with a red gem set inside. "Oh… Lloyd… it's so beautiful…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, I finally got this finished during Journalism today. Also, I finished chapter 5 during Journalism as well, so I'll post that as soon as I type it. Hope you enjoyed. Sorry this one's short, and the next one's actually shorter, but I promise to make chapter 6 long. I've started it and I plan to finish it soon- promise! Please review!! I can't make the story better without hearing what you think!


	5. Destruction

"Take care, Chosen!"

"Regenerate the world for us!"

"Please be careful!"

"I'll do my best!"

Lloyd kicked the ground as he watched the village bid Colette goodbye. She was already half gone, but no one was ceasing. "This sucks."

"Now come on, Lloyd." Anna sighed, "I know you wanted to go, but she's better without you there- she can't have mixed feelings about this.

"I know that, but…" Lloyd sighed, "It still sucks."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Lloyd."

Genis ran over, "Hey!" he said to Lloyd.

Lloyd nodded, "Hey Genis."

"Cheer up a little! Colette is strong! She'll come back." Genis said.

"Yeah." Lloyd managed to say, "Of course she will."

"Why don't you two go play by the river." Anna suggested, smiling sadly at her son.

"Alright, Mom." Lloyd nodded at his mother.

"Okay, Mrs. Aurion." Genis nodded as well. The two ran off towards the gate to get to the river, and Anna turned back to where the Chosen's traveling group had left.

"Please stay safe, Kratos…"

XXXX

They weren't gone one hour before disaster struck.

"Is… is that fire?!" Lloyd shouted, surprised, as he looked back at the village.

"Oh no!" Genis shouted, running back towards it.

Without a thought, Lloyd ran after him.

XXXX

The village was on fire.

"Bow to the half elves you discriminate!" A red haired half elf proclaimed, as he stood by the village entrance.

"Mom!" Lloyd ran towards his house. Luckily, his mother was fine.

"Oh, Lloyd!" Anna hugged him.

"Genis, stay here and keep my mom safe!" Lloyd ordered.

Genis nodded.

Lloyd took off towards the entrance of the village, fury blazing. By the time he got there, most of the village had cleared out. "You…" Lloyd growled, "You BASTARD! Who the HELL do you think you are, attacking this village?!"

"I am Magnius!" he answered, shouting loudly, "Lord of all half elves!"

"You give half elves a bad name." Lloyd heard, just before a bolt of lightning hit Magnius and threw him to the ground.

Yuan appeared in a ball of light, "Lloyd, I'll take care of Magnius- go find the village people and gather them by the river."

Lloyd nodded, "Okay." He said, before running off.

Magnius struggled to get up as Yuan summoned his weapon, "You will PAY for hurting these people!"

XXXX

"Is this everyone?" Lloyd asked Phaidra, looking around. The less-than-50 residents of Iselia were standing, scattered around by the river, checking their loved ones for injuries. Anna, Veronica, Frank, Genis, Lloyd and Phaidra were leading the pack.

"Everyone except Mark- bless his soul." Phaidra said, closing her eyes.

Mark, the man who was supposed to take over the school with Rain gone, had been killed getting people out of the town.

Yuan, who had ditched his cloak as to not look too suspicious, ran over. "Magnius retreated, and the rest of the half-elves have left as well. Genis, I could use your help to put the fires out."

Genis nodded, "Okay!" he hurried back to the village.

Yuan left after him.

"Come on, Lloyd." Anna said, "We can help too."

Lloyd nodded.

XXXX

The village, all things considered, was in good shape. Only one casualty and only a couple of buildings were burnt beyond repair.

Unfortunately, those buildings were Lloyd and Anna's house, and Genis's house.

"We didn't have anything incredibly important there." Anna said.

"You are all welcome to stay with us." Veronica said, "For as long as needed."

Anna shook her head, "That's okay." She said, "We're going to head to Triet."

Lloyd and Genis looked up, surprised, "We are?"

Anna nodded, "Kratos, Raine and Colette should know about this." She said, "And I have family in Luin we can stay with."

Veronica nodded, "That's good… but keep this from Colette, please. She doesn't need to know."

Anna nodded as well, 'Yes, I can understand that. Alright, I won't tell her."

"Thank you." Veronica smiled, "When re you going to leave?"

"Soon." Anna said, "I just want to see what can be salvaged from the house."

Veronica nodded, "We'll help."

An hour later, Anna, Lloyd and Genis were on their way to Triet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Geezzzz, short chapter. Sorry! I'll post 6 incredibly soon to make up for it! I could combine the two, but it just doesn't flow right together... so I'll post it soon.

I've actually had this written for awhile… Heh…

Review? Pwease?


	6. Desert

The trek to Triet normally took about a day and a half by foot.

Unfortunately for Anna, Lloyd, and Genis, they weren't having the best week.

"Thank you for the shelter." Anna said to Sarah as the caravan-rider bustled about, getting her guests drinks.

"Oh, it's no problem at all." Sarah beamed, "No one should be outside during a storm like that. So, you said you were headed to Triet?"

Anna nodded, "Yes, we're trying to catch up with my husband. He left early this morning."

"Then he might have missed the sandstorm." Sarah said. "My husband and children missed it as well, more than likely- they were also headed to Triet." Sarah explained. "The sandstorm will be gone soon enough; they never last more than a couple of hours."

"Thank you, Sarah." Anna smiled.

XXXX

"Kratos, do you smell smoke?" Raine asked. Her half-elf senses, though not as enhanced as an elf or an angel's, were more enhanced than a human's, and the scents she was beginning to smell carried on the wind of the sandstorm they'd barely missed were beginning to worry her. She glanced back in the direction of Iselia, a worried look on her face.

Kratos nodded, "Faintly, but yes. Of course, I'm hoping it's the sandstorm."

Rain nodded as well, still obviously worried.

Kratos could definitely smell the smoke- he knew it was really smoke- something was burning back near Iselia.

They were coming up on Triet- they'd made good time. Colette was pretty silent and she looked exhausted.

"Let's stop at the Inn." Rain suggested after glancing at Colette and seeing how close the Chosen looked to collapsing on the ground and staying there. "Stay the night."

"Good idea." Kratos said, "Can you get the rooms? I'm going to stock up on supplies."

Raine nodded and led Colette to the Inn. Once they'd descended the stairs, Kratos made his way over to the other side of the town where the shopping stalls were. Martel was standing there, pretending to look at accessories.

"Hey." She smiled at Kratos.

"What happened?" Kratos asked, getting right to the point.

Martel's smile immediately changed to a frown and she began to explain, "A group of half elves- some very angry ones- invaded Iselia and set the town on fire." Martel said.

"Is anyone hurt?" Kratos's eyes widened, "What happened?"

"There was only one casualty- Mark Krane- he was killed getting some people out of town. Besides him, though, everyone is fine. Only two houses were burnt beyond repair- yours and Raine's. Anna, Lloyd, and Genis are on their way here now." Martel explained, "So stick around in Triet a bit- will make it all easier for everyone."

Kratos nodded, "Alright. How far are they from Triet?"

"About…" Martel paused to think and calculate for a second, "Six hours or so, but they're caught in the sandstorm. A caravan has given them shelter, but they're stuck until the storm passes." Martel said.

Kratos nodded. "Well, Raine has to know. Think you can make up a logical excuse why YOU know?"

Martel laughed, "Me?" she asked, incredulously, "Of course I can."

XXXX

"A bird told you?" Raine repeated, raising an eyebrow. Colette was asleep on one of the beds in the room, and Martel, Kratos, and Raine were on the other side.

Martel nodded enthusiastically.

Kratos sighed and smacked her over the head.

"OWWWW!!!" Martel cried, "KRATOSSSS!!"

Raine raised an eyebrow.

"Fiiiiine." Martel huffed. "I was told by a messenger who had been passing by the town when he saw the smoke. He went in and helped out a little bit before getting back on his trusty steed and galloping his way straight into me." She crossed her arms.

"Oh." Raine said.

Kratos sighed, "Honestly, Mara…"

"Hmf!" Martel crossed her arms and stood up, "Well, anyway, I should go. Great to see you again, Raine!" Martel quickly escaped the room.

Kratos leaned back in his chair, "No matter how she found out, this makes sense- the smoke."

"Yes…" Raine nodded.

"At any rate, we should probably stick around Triet until Anna, Lloyd, and Genis catch up to us."

Raine sighed, "I didn't want Genis on the journey."

"Anna is probably planning to take the boys to Luin to stay with her family." Kratos explained, "I don't want Lloyd on the journey either."

"Oh. Well, that will be good." Raine nodded. "Did you finish getting supplies?"

Kratos shook his head, "I ran into Mara the minute I got to the marketplace. However, since we're staying here longer than expected, I can always get them later."

Raine nodded again, still trying to wrap her head around the thought of her house, her village… burned…

Colette sat up in her bed, having been awake and listening the entire time, "Raine, at least Genis wasn't hurt." She chirped in a tired voice, "Everything else can be replaced."

Raine smiled at her, "You're right. Thank you, Colette."

Colette smiled as well, "No problem!"

"Now get some sleep." Raine told the girl.

Colette was more than happy to oblige.

XXXX

"Finally! Triet!" Lloyd grinned, walking into the desert city. He felt like his legs were about to fall off and Genis wasn't doing much better. Anna was fine- she'd ridden Noishe the entire second half of the trip and was currently making fun of the boys for being babies.

Kratos strode over to them, not really looking surprised at all to see his family. "Oh, hello."

Anna hopped off of Noishe, skipping over to him, "You sound like you knew we were coming." She commented.

"I did." Kratos shrugged.

Raine hurried out of the Inn and over to her brother's side, "Are you alright? Were you hurt at all?"

"I'm fine, Raine…" Genis said. "Just tired."

"Colette was tired when we made it here as well." Kratos said, "We have beds ready for you."

"Well, I happen to be fine." Anna crossed her arms.

"Then you can tell us what happened in better detail than Mara did." Kratos told her, "Lloyd, Genis, come on."

XXXX

"I see…" Raine said, sitting back in her chair in the lobby of the Inn. "What happens if Iselia is attacked again?"

"Yuan is staying in town to keep an eye out." Anna explained, "He's…" she couldn't help but giggle, "Taking over the schoolhouse also."

Kratos snickered.

"Why is this so funny?" Raine asked.

"We've known Yuan for a long time, Raine." Kratos said, "He's been my best friend since I was a kid. It is my belief that when we get back to Iselia in a few months, Yuan will be about ready to blow something up."

"And when Yuan is like that, it's HILARIOUS." Anna grinned.

"As long as you're not in his firing range." Kratos added.

"Of course." Anna nodded.

Raine blinked.

"He's a good teacher." Kratos assured Raine, "His patience level, however, is debatable."

XXXX

"So, Mother, Father, and Grandmother weren't hurt?" Colette asked Lloyd. They were upstairs in one of the rooms the group had rented. Genis had already fallen asleep, but Lloyd was keeping himself awake to talk to the Chosen.

"They're all fine." Lloyd promised her, "Don't worry, Colette."

"I'm sorry." She sighed.

Lloyd poked her, "Don't apologize either."

"Oh, sorry." Colette said, "You should probably get some sleep, Lloyd."

"Yeah…" Lloyd yawned.

"I'll leave you alone." Colette smiled, "Good night." She left the room. Lloyd laid back on the bed and fell asleep quickly.

XXXX

"So, you are bringing them to Luin?" Kratos asked his wife in the room they were sharing later that night. Raine and Colette were in their room, probably asleep, and Lloyd and Genis were still sleeping.

Anna nodded, "I figured that we could at least stay there for now."

Kratos nodded, "Yes, that's a good idea."

"But I was thinking we'd stay with your group until we got to Luin." Anna said.

"Anna, it's—"

Anna cut her husband off, "Dangerous, I know. You've told me a million times. It's only until we get to Luin and I promise to keep out of danger."

Kratos sighed, "Fine." He said, "But you, Lloyd, and Genis have to stay in Luin 0nce we get there."

Anna nodded, "As long as my sister doesn't mind."

"If she minds, I'll have Martel take you and Lloyd to Derris Kharlan if I have to." Kratos said.

Anna giggled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Soo…. I said incredibly soon and it took a month.

My reasons? I have two.

One. I lost the paper this was written on and didn't find it until last weekend when I went psycho-clean on my bedroom.

Two. I was having mega laptop troubles. All solved now, though, since I have this shiny new laptop.

This was the last chapter I had already written, and that's probably a good thing, since I have a theory that it takes me longer to type up a prewritten chapter than it does to just write one on the computer.

Anyway, lemme know if I'm doing okay!! I couldn't help the Martel humor in there- I love writing her. I call her L'Martel in real life. Seriously. Ask my friends.

Review?


	7. Flame

"So, the first seal has to be near Triet. That's all we know, correct?" Raine asked.

"Yes." Kratos lied, "Though the seals will more than likely be in a ruin or monument of sorts, considering how long they've been around."

"The Triet Ruins!" Raine exclaimed suddenly. The others could see her slipping towards ruin mode at an alarming rate.

"Yes, that would make sense." Kratos nodded.

"Then we should check there first." Anna said, "Are we ready to go?"

Kratos glanced over to where Lloyd, Colette, and Genis were playing with Noishe, "Yes, I think so."

XXXX

They set off as soon as they got Lloyd, Colette and Genis back on track. The ruins were about a three hours walk away, which wasn't too bad, all things considered, but three hours through the desert made children (and Anna) cranky. This being said, Kratos spent the entire trip there resisting the urge to Judgement his son to knock some sense into him, and carrying Anna on his back. Yes. You heard me right. Kratos was whipped.

Now if you'll excuse me, this authoress is going to go hide in fear of being slaughtered.

XXXX

"FINALLY!" Lloyd shouted, as the ruins came into view. They still had maybe an hour left to walk, but the ruins being in view meant that he'd be able to get out of the sun soon, which meant that he'd be able to get the sand out of his boots soon. He didn't even know how he'd GOTTEN sand in his boots in the first place, I mean, they're boots and sand can't jump! But, he was getting off track.

Raine took off running, and no one knew how she had the strength to run like that anyway. Anna had been riding on Kratos's back the entire time and was exhausted. Lloyd felt like his legs were going to fall off at any moment, and Genis and Colette weren't much better off. Kratos, of course, was fine because he was Kratos and all.

Genis sighed, "Raine…"

"Why is she running like that?" Colette asked Genis. Colette and Lloyd were still oblivious to Raine's Ruin Mode. Kratos and Genis exchanged a glance, and Genis spoke.

"You're better off not knowing." He said with a groan that proved that he was trying to hide something. Lloyd raised an eyebrow, but was too exhausted to protest.

They finally caught up with Raine to see her stroking and rubbing up against a slab of what looked like very smooth stone.

"…Proffessor?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

Raine didn't stop.

"Raine!" Genis shouted.

Nothing.

Anna skipped over and poked the woman in the side. She flinched and jumped up, "What?!" Raine shouted.

"You were being a maniac again." Anna grinned.

"But these are the Triet Ruins!" Raine shouted, "You expect me to be calm and just walk right through?!"

"No." Anna said, "But I expect you, for the mental health of everyone else, to keep from humping pieces of stone."

Raine blushed, "I was NOT humping it!"

"You were doing something." Anna chuckled, skipping back over to her husband.

"It's polycarbonate!" Raine protested, but no one bothered to answer her.

"Colette, come here." Kratos said. He was standing by the oracle stone, "Put your hand here and the door should open."

"Yes Mr. Kratos." Colette nodded, and put her hand on the slab. The sheet of polycarbonate that Raine was standing on started to move, and Raine lost her balance, falling into the hole that appeared and tumbling down the stairs.

"AND THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T HUMP PIECES OF STONE!" Anna called after her, laughing before running to make sure her friend was okay.

Meanwhile, Genis practically died of embarrassment.

XXXX

They headed into the temple, only to find it even hotter INSIDE than it was OUTSIDE.

Lloyd, who had ditched his jacket by the entrance, much to his mother's annoyance, was whining every other minute. Anna wasn't used to the hot weather, but wasn't whining. Genis and Colette weren't complaining, and Raine was distracted by the fact that she was in "SUPERREALLYOLDRUINSWHEEEEE!!"

And, of course, Kratos was fine.

"Hey, look over here!" Lloyd shouted, pointing at a transporter reeeeally far above them.

"Great, we found the transporter. Now how do we get up there?" Anna asked, glancing at her husband.

"Well, there has to be a way to lower a ladder or raise some stairs or something." Kratos answered, even though he knew exactly what they had to do.

Colette, who was wearing the sorcerer's ring, was walking towards an unlit lantern when suddenly she slipped and hit the button that activated it. As she tumbled to the ground, a burst of fire came out of the ring and hit the lantern, lighting it. Suddenly, what felt like a slight earthquake erupted as a platform not far from them raised into the air.

"And that answers my question." Anna said.

Lloyd hurried over to help up Colette and Genis sighed as Raine ran off to figure out how that had happened.

XXXX

An hour later, all the platforms were raised and they were standing on the platform with the transporter, ready to go.

"Well? Are we going or not?" Lloyd asked.

"Raine's still halfway down the stairs." Kratos pointed.

Genis sweatdropped.

"Raaaaaaine! You're holding up the regeneration journey!!!!" Anna called down to the woman, who immediately perked up at the sound of this and bolted up the stairs. Again, Anna started laughing.

"Okay. Now we can go." Kratos nodded.

They stepped on the transporter and appeared in the seal room.

"Something's…. wrong." Genis muttered.

"What is it, Genis?" Lloyd asked.

"I feel… mana welling up!" Genis shouted.

Suddenly, out of thin air, the Ktugach and two Ktugachlings appeared.

"Everyone, get ready!" Kratos shouted.

Everyone readied their weapons, including, surprisingly, Anna.

"Mom, you fight?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"What, you think I married him so all I have to do is hide behind him all the time?" Anna raised an eyebrow, pointing at Kratos.

"No, it's just… You rode on Dad's back the whole way here! And Noishe the whole way to Triet!" Lloyd frowned.

"That's because I'm LAAAZY." Anna said, "There's a difference."

"Ahem!" Kratos shouted, "We could use some help here." He was currently holding back the Ktugach from biting and killing the both of them.

"Right!" Anna said, readying her Katar. She swung it, hitting the Ktugach in the face. "BAD DRAGON THINGY!" she shouted, zooming into battle.

"Sonic Thrust!" Lloyd shouted, getting himself into the battle as well. Genis was casting Icicle on the Ktugachlings while Colette battered them with her chakrams. Raine was in the back, healing, while the Aurions took on the Ktugach.

"Hyah!" Colette cried as she struck the final blow on one of the Ktugachlings, just as an Icicle spell crushed the other.

Of course, the Ktugachlings were much easier than the Ktugach, and Kratos was holding back. If Kratos hadn't been holding back, they'd all be dead already.

The Ktugach raised one of its huge paws and swept up Lloyd, knocking him backwards into Raine and sending them both flying.

"Lloyd! Professor!" Colette shouted, running over the two.

Anna struck with her Katar and shouted, "SONIC BOOM!"

Kratos froze for a second, "Honestly, Anna?" he asked her.

"What? I'm not allowed to have techs?" Anna pouted.

"That's not a tech, Anna." Kratos said, swatting away the Ktugach with his sword, "That's something you made up."

"Hmf!" Anna crossed her arms.

Lloyd and Raine were up by this point and Lloyd was charging, "Sword Rain!!" he said, using a tech.

"Aww, I want to do that." Anna pouted again.

"Anna. Battle. Please concentrate." Kratos reminded her.

"Oh. Right." Anna nodded, charging the Ktugach.

After a few more techs, attacks and "attack-techs-that-Anna-made-up", the Ktugach fell to the swords of the Regeneration group.

"Colette, it's your turn." Kratos said, sheathing his sword.

"Right!" Colette hurried up to the altar to pray.

Lloyd frowned, not wanting to see his friend go through what she was going to have to.

Anna put a hand on her son's shoulder as Remiel decended from the "heavens".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I don't know what happened to me. But, I hope this chapter amused you. :sweatdrop:

Anyway, if you don't know what a Katar is (which was me until my friend showed me the Wikipedia page) search it on Wikipedia. Also, I don't know when Anna's personality changed.

Anyway, review?? Please?? I like feedback and it makes me write quicker!!

No, really, it does!!

Thanks for reading!


	8. Trail

"So, how long is the trip to the next place?" Anna asked. She, Kratos, and Raine were awake- the children had fallen asleep already.

"Well, we should probably stock up in Triet before setting out- then head to the Ossa Trail." Kratos said, "From the Ossa Trail we should head to Izoold. The angel said that the next seal was across the water, so Palmacosta will be a good place to start."

Raine sweatdropped, "T-the water?"

"Yes." Kratos nodded.

The healer began to shake. Anna took two steps away from her and said, "Anna, are you okay?"

"F-fine… I just don't like water." Raine trembled.

"Right, her aquaphobia." Kratos frowned, "I'm afraid there's no other choice, Raine, besides going very far out of our way. We won't let you get hurt."

"Yes, I know." Raine took a deep breath, "I'll be fine. Forgive me."

Anna put her arm over the girl's shoulders, "So, I guess we'll head out in the morning?"

"Sounds good." Kratos nodded. "You two get some rest. I'll be night watch."

XXXX

"Dad?" Lloyd sat down next to his father and Noishe late that night. He had been having trouble sleeping.

"Yes, Lloyd?" Kratos asked, turning to his son, "What is it?"

"This doesn't feel right." Lloyd said, very softly. "Colette's my best friend, I don't want to lead her to her death…"

"I know, Lloyd, but it's for Sylvarant. Colette knows what she's doing." Kratos said.

"She doesn't know the whole story. Dad, shouldn't we at least tell her the whole story and make sure she's still okay with it?" Lloyd asked.

"Shh. You'll wake someone up." Kratos said, "We can't tell her the whole story and you know that."

Lloyd sighed, "Yeah."

XXXX

They reached the Ossa Trail by noon five days later. They'd stayed the night in Triet and it had taken four days afterward to make it to the Trail.

"Finally, no more desert!" Lloyd cheered.

Colette giggled, "It wasn't that bad."

"Yes it was." Lloyd said.

She giggled again.

"Come on you two. You're falling behind." Kratos said. Surprised, the two teens hurried to catch up.

They stopped abruptly when they heard a scream of surprise. "Gyahhh!" A female voice shouted as a purple blur fell towards the group from above.

Kratos, with his quick reflexes, was able to easily catch her in his arms. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

The black haired, purple-clad girl groaned, "Where am I?" she asked as Kratos carefully set her down.

"The Ossa Trail." Anna said, helping the girl steady herself.

"Where are you from?" Lloyd asked, in full-on curiosity mode, "Where'd you fall from?"

"I fell from the rock ledge up there." The girl pointed up, "I was trying to get down but that was not the way I intended. Thank you for catching me."

Kratos raised an eyebrow, "Why were you up there in the first place?"

She flushed with embarrassment, "N-no reason!"

Kratos and Anna exchanged a glance.

"If you don't mind me asking…" the girl said, hesitantly, "Where are you headed?"

"To Izoold to get a ship." Lloyd answered.

"Izoold! Maybe I can find my way from there!" the girl exclaimed.

"Find your way where?" Kratos asked, suspicious.

"Home." The girl admitted, looking to the ground, "I'm incredibly lost."

"Come along with us, then!" Colette exclaimed, "Until you're not lost anymore!"

"Really?!"

"Of course!"

Kratos glanced at Anna again, "What's your name, girl?" he asked the clumsy female.

"Sheena Fujibayashi." She said, hesitant once more.

_'As I thought.'_ Kratos thought to himself.

"I don't think it's wise to invite someone we don't know to come along with us." Raine warned.

"Please, professor?" Colette begged, "She's our friend!"

Raine sighed, "You are far too trustworthy."

"Very well." Kratos conceded.

"Yay!" Colette cheered, "I'm Colette Brunel. This is Lloyd Aurion, his parents, Mr. Kratos and Mrs. Anna, and Genis Sage and his sister Professor Raine!" Colette introduced everyone.

Sheena smiled, "Nice to meet you all. And thank you."

"Can we get going now?" Anna whined, "My legs hurt and I wanna sit down."

Kratos rolled his eyes, "Yes, let's go."

"Right!" Colette grinned.

Lloyd found it astonishing that someone on a journey to her death could actually be so peppy.

…Of course, it was Colette.

"Hi Sheena!" Anna chirped as the group continued up the trail, "I'm Anna Aurion."

"Colette JUST introduced you, mom." Lloyd reminded her.

"Well, I wanted to introduce myself." Anna put her hands on her hips.

Sheena laughed, "It's great to meet you, Mrs. Aurion."

"Call me Anna." Anna assured her, smiling.

Sheena nodded.

XXXX

When the group made it to Izoold, they found Martel pacing just inside the gates.

"Finally!" she said, grabbing Kratos and dragging him into town.

Everyone blinked.

Anna sighed, "That's Mara for you. Let's get rooms at the Inn and see about that ship." She said.

"Right." Raine nodded.

XXXX

"The Renegades have sent an assassin." Kratos repeated.

"Yes!" Martel shouted, "I have Pronyma keeping tabs on them, but they're so damn elusive! We have yet to find their base, as it stands."

"I see." Kratos frowned.

"And Yuan can't help, since he has to teach at the school in Iselia and keep an eye out for those half-elves that attacked the town- we have a feeling there are more." Martel continued, "This was supposed to be such an easy regeneration journey, too." She huffed.

"Calm down." Kratos said, "It will all work out, Martel."

"I hope so. I have to get back up to Derris Kharlan, but I wanted to let you know so you can keep an eye out." Martel said.

Kratos nodded.

Martel mock saluted and vanished into thin air.

XXXX

_'An assassin.'_ Kratos said, _'Probably from Tethe'alla. There's no reason exactly to suspect Sheena, but she's definitely under my watch as of now.'_

"Hey!" Anna chirped from the couch of the Inn.

Kratos walked over, "What are you doing?"

"Sketching out a path from Palmacosta to the Geyser." Anna said, "Shh."

Kratos chuckled.

"Raine took the kids to look for a ship. What did Martel want?" Anna asked, putting her pencil down.

"Apparently the Renegades sent an assassin after Colette." Kratos said.

"Sheena?" Anna's eyes widened.

"It's a possibility." Kratos nodded.

"But she seems so NICE!" Anna frowned.

"The people with the worst intentions usually do." Kratos said, "Still, there's no proof. Just keep an eye on her."

"Right." Anna nodded.

Raine and the four children walked back in. "No luck. The storms are keeping all boats in port. We're stuck until they die down."

Kratos frowned, "I guess we'll stay in Izoold for a few days, then." He said, "No other choice."

XXXX

"Lloyd?" Colette asked. It was late that night and the two were sitting on the Inn's roof.

"Yeah?" Lloyd glanced at her.

"I'm really glad you're on the journey, even just for a little while." Colette smiled, "I'm really glad that you're here."

Lloyd smiled back, "Of course I'm here. You knew I wanted to be."

"Yes… I should have known. You always find a way." She said, softly.

"Colette, you look upset." Lloyd said.

"No, I'm fine!" Colette assured him, "Just a little tired. But I want to watch the stars with you until I fall asleep."

Lloyd smiled, "Alright. Whatever you want, Colette."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And on a sweet note, there's that chapter.

Sorry for the delay, blahdiblah blah blah. Sorry, I've written this in every chapter I've posted recently, and it's getting annoying to say the same thing so often.

Can it just be established that unless it's been more than two months since my last update that I'm sorry even if I don't say it? Please? ^^

Review? I'd like to know what you think!


	9. Ocean

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this." Raine repeated softly to herself as the regeneration group walked towards the ship they would be traveling on to reach Palmacosta. A week had passed, the storms had died down, and a single passenger ship was about to depart.

"Raine, come on!" Genis said, taking his sister's hand and dragging her slowly across the pier.

"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this." Raine continued to chant her comforting mantra.

Kratos held out a hand to the Professor to help the woman onto the shop.

"I can't do this!" Raine shouted, pulling away from Genis and dashing into the other direction, only to run straight into a turquoise haired, strongly built half-elf. She stumbled and Kratos grabbed her, getting her onto the ship, much to her chagrin.

"I'm so sorry about that, Miss." The man said.

Raine just trembled.

"Are you okay?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Slight aquaphobia." Kratos informed him. "She'll be fine once we're back on land."

"Ah." He nodded, stepping onto the ship. "My name is Forcystus. I'm this ship's captain."

"Oh, thank you for allowing us passage." Kratos said.

"No problem at all." Forcystus said, "That is my job, after all."

Kratos nodded, and Forcystus headed to the front of the ship.

"Lloyd, keep an eye on Raine." Kratos told his son before walking over to Anna.

Lloyd grumbled.

XXXX

"Wow, Lloyd, look!" Colette pointed to a fish that jumped out of the water. The girl grinned.

Lloyd laughed, "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Colette."

Colette grinned, "Sheena, do you like fish?"

"Huh?" Sheena glanced over, surprised, "Um, yeah, I do." She smiled.

"Come watch them with us!" Colette gestured her over.

Sheena stood up and walked over, "O-okay…"

"Wow, look at that big one!" Colette shouted, pointing to the image of a large fish on the top of the water.

"That's not… everyone watch out!" Lloyd shouted.

Suddenly the ship knocked sideways. Raine vomited.

"Lloyd, get Colette!" Kratos shouted, grabbing Anna and Genis and holding them close so that they wouldn't fall off of the ship. Sheena had a firm grip on Colette and Colette was already clutching onto Lloyd. Raine was holding onto the edge of the ship in case she was going to get sick again.

Forcystus rapidly changed the ship's direction, trying to lose the sea monsters, but it came with, almost as if it was attached somehow.

"Wait, dad!" Lloyd shouted when Kratos began to aim to throw his sword into the monster's heart and kill it. The monster thrashed again.

Lloyd pulled his swords off, throwing them onto the desk and pulled away from Colette, diving into the water.

"Lloyd!" Anna and Kratos shouted in perfect parent unison.

Lloyd swam under the ship to see that the monster (who was much smaller than they had imagined) had somehow gotten one of the claws on its back fins caught on the net below the ship. Lloyd began to work the clay out, and soon enough the "monster" was free. Lloyd swam to the surface and gasped for air, only to be licked by the thing he'd just saved.

Lloyd blinked. That was no monster.

"Aww, it's so cute!" Colette squealed.

"Lloyd, are you okay?" Anna asked.

Lloyd laughed as the "monster" licked him again, "I'm fine, mom!"

The beast that had been attached to the ship was dark blue in color. It looked sort of like a cat or a dog, except with a fin and webbed paws, and two long fins on its back with claws attached. It had a light blue spot on its underbelly and light blue designs on his tail. It was also significantly smaller than it had seemed- the water had given it the illusion of largeness.

It nudged Lloyd in the chest before grabbing his jacket with its teeth and pulling him onto its back.

"Wow, it's letting Lloyd ride him!" Genis said, "I've never seen anything like it!"

The beast swam up to the ship with Lloyd on its back and launched into the air, landing smoothly on the desk.  
Lloyd climbed off, "Thanks, Mystera." He smiled.

Genis blinked.

"Her name's Mystera." Lloyd said, "She told me. She said that she's in my debt for saving her."

"Amazing." Kratos breathed.

"What is it?" Anna asked Kratos.

"Lloyd has actually bonded with a protozoan. That only happens if you meet and befriend one in the aquan stage, and they never show themselves to humans in that form."

"A protozoan?!" Rain cried, suddenly at Mystera's side. "Amazing! I must study her!"

"And run mode takes of her aquaphobia." Anna muttered.

"Mystera, run!" Lloyd shouted.

Surprised, Mystera dove back into the water, out of Raine's reach.

"She's so cute!" Colette squealed.

"Adorable!" Sheena agreed.

XXXX

"So, dad, what do you mean I've bonded to her?" Lloyd asked his father a little bit later. Mystera was swimming alongside the ship, which was now back on course to Palmacosta at a steady pace.

"If an aquan protozoan takes to a human, they develop a bond. Essentially, she can speak to you and feel your feelings." Kratos explained, "I've never heard of it happening before, since protozoans are so rare."

"Oh, cool!" Lloyd grinned.

"You know, it probably never happens because no one besides Lloyd is stupid enough to dive into the ocean to save a creature that's attacking them." Genis joked.

"Hey! Mystera wasn't attacking us!" Lloyd shouted.

Genis sweatdropped, "I was insulting you, Lloyd."

XXXX

Now that Mystera had been saved, nothing else stopped the ship from making it to Palmacosta. As they pulled into the dock, Lloyd jumped off the ship (before it had even stopped moving.)

"Lloyd!" Anna shouted, pissed, "Never do that again!"

"Sorry mom!" Lloyd shouted, obviously ignoring her.

Anna sighed.

Mystera stuck her head above the water and Lloyd grinned. Once the ship had stopped, Kratos came up alongside his son.

He was about to say something when Lloyd all the sudden reached his hand into the water.

"Hey, you're right…" he muttered.

"What?" Kratos asked.

"The water's pulsating." Lloyd said. Before he could finish explaining, massive waves began to form and Mystera was tossed up onto the deck and into Kratos, who tumbled backwards onto the dock. A huge worm burst out of the water and roared.

"Colette, get behind me!" Anna shouted.

The worm roared again.

Lloyd hurried to help Mystera off of his father, "Gah! Are you two okay?!"

"I'm fine." Kratos said, standing up.

Mystera quickly dove into the water, then nodded to Lloyd.

"Genis, cast lightning!" Kratos shouted to the young half-elf, who jumped and nodded before starting to cast.

"LIGHTNING!"

The monster barely flinched.

"Damn…" Kratos cursed. Mystera was huddled under the dock, unable to protect herself.

"Dad, we need to do something! It's coming this way!" Lloyd shouted.

Suddenly, a giant bolt of lightning hit the worm and it roared, sinking beneath the waves, not defeated but retreating.

"That was…" Kratos muttered. The group all turned to look at Sheena, who was sheepishly standing behind everyone. Floating behind her was the giant ball of lightning known as Volt the summon spirit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ooh, Sheena has Volt! Twist!

…

Yes, I totally made that up when I realized that they had no way to defeat the worm.

Will be explained later!

Review, plz?


	10. Summoner

"Umm… heh." Sheena said, cautiously.

"You're a summoner." Kratos said.

Sheena nodded, slowly.

"A summoner? But I thought the art of summoning had been lost to this world!" Raine shouted. Since she was back on land, she was perfectly fine, and her ruin mania, which apparently applied to both ruins and lost arts. For all anyone knew, though, those lost arts may have been used in the ruins (when they weren't ruined) so in a way it all worked out.

"Well, it hasn't." Sheena said, biting her lip, worried.

"Sheena, that was so cool!" Genis and Colette hurried over to her side, amazed.

Kratos glared at the girl, _'Yes, girl, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on you.'_

XXXX

Anna leaned against one of the walls of the Inn the group was staying in. Kratos was standing next to her. They were waiting for Sheena to come out of her room- they had requested to speak with her.

"There's no other way, Kratos?" Anna asked softly, "This is risky."

"This is the only option." Kratos said, his mind set on whatever he was choosing to do.

Sheena hurried over, "Y-you wanted to see me?" she asked, worried.

"Yes, come with us." Kratos said. The married couple lead Sheena down the streets of Palmacosta to an empty area overlooking the water.

Sheena stood there awkwardly.

"What are you doing in Sylvarant?" Kratos got right to the point.

Sheena's eyes widened, "W-what are you talking about?"

"Tethe'allan clothes. Tethe'allan abilities, Tethe'allan summon spirit. What is a Tethe'allan doing in Sylvarant?" Kratos looked at the girl sternly.

XXXX

Lloyd and Genis were sitting on the docks watching Mystera flip through the water happily.

"I can't believe we met a protozoan." Genis said.

Lloyd nodded, "I can't believe I bonded with a protozoan."

"Is she going to come with us?" Genis asked his friend.

"She wants to." Lloyd frowned, "But she can't be out of the water for very long since she's still in the aquan stage- her body can't survive. Plus, she can't walk, so…"

"Oh, that's true." Genis said.

"But she said I can always call her when I'm near water." Lloyd said, "Since we're bonded, apparently she can hear me and know when I'm calling. I don't know…"

Mystera poked her head above the water and a sort of squeaking bark could be heard.

"Awww!" Colette squaled.

Genis and Lloyd jumped, "Colette, you scared us!"

"Sorry." Colette smiled, sitting down. Mystera swam over and rubbed against her legs. "Mystera, you're so cute!" Colette grinned.

"She says thank you." Lloyd said.

Mystera flipped back into the water again as someone came up behind them- a priest.

"Chosen one?" he spoke.

Colette stood up, brushing her tunic off, "Ah, yes?"

"The church was wondering you would do a sermon." The priest said.

"Oh, sure!" Colette said with clearly fake excitement- at least to those who knew her. "Lloyd, will you tell your parents-"

"Yeah." Lloyd nodded, smiling sadly at Colette.

Colette smiled back and followed the priest off.

"What's wrong, Lloyd?" Genis asked, "It's just a sermon."

Lloyd shook his head, "It's nothing."

Mystera resurfaced and squeaked.

Lloyd chuckled softly, "Thanks, Mystera."

XXXX

"Please don't hurt me! I swear I'm not here to hurt anyone!" Sheena pleaded.

Anna's eyes widened.

"I really am lost! I don't know how I got here and I don't know how to get back!" Sheena shouted.

'_Well, of course she wouldn't tell us if she was the assassin.'_ Anna thought.

"I'm sorry for lying, but I never said I was Sylvaranti."

Kratos nodded, sheathing his sword.

"Really?" Sheena's eyes widened.

"You admitted to it." Kratos said, "I'm keeping an eye on you, but you're okay for now."

Sheena smiled gratefully and took off.

"Was that wise?" Anna asked, "If she really is here to kill Colette…"

"I can't just kill her without proof."  
Kratos said, "Besides, she doesn't know Colette is the Chosen yet."

XXXX

"Forcystus, what are you still doing in Palmacosta? I thought you were going back to Izoold." Lloyd asked the older man.

"With that worm still loose out there?" Forcystus asked, "I don't think so."

"Oh that's right, it wasn't killed by that spell." Lloyd frowned.

"If you're worried about Mystera, don't be." Forcystus said, "She's survived this long by herself- she'll be fine. You have to stay with your family right now, but she'll be there when you get to see again. Protozoans live a long time, and again, she's just in the first stage."

"True…" Lloyd nodded, before smiling, "Thanks, Forcystus."

"No problem. Well, I've got to go find a place to stay, so I'll see you around, kid." Forcystus waved as he walked off.

Lloyd thought about what he had said, "Yeah. Forcystus is right."

From the water, Mystera squeaked in agreement.

XXXX

"Noishe!" Lloyd ran over to the Protozoan. He hadn't been able to come on the ship, so he'd found his own way across. Since he was Noishe, no one questioned it- No one ever questioned Noishe.

"Noisheeee!" Anna ran over hugging the over grown dog, "Hey, Lloyd, you should bring him to meet Mystera!"

"Okay!" Lloyd said, "Come on, Noishe!" Lloyd lead Noishe down to the docks. "Mystera!" he called.

The aquan poked her head above the surface.

Noishe immediately growled at her.

Lloyd blinked, "Noishe, she's a protozoan like you!"

Noishe kept growling.

"Noishe!" Lloyd looked at Mystera, "I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with him…"

Mystera shook her head as Noishe barked angrily at her. Mystera quickly dove beneath the waves.

"Noishe! Bad dog!" Lloyd snapped.

Noishe whimpered.

XXXX

It was late. No one was out in Palmacasta- the lights were off, everyone was asleep. Colette opened her window and spread her wings, soaring out and twirling around in the air.

"This feels great…" Colette said, squeezing her eyes shut.

When she opened them again, she found herself over the water. She soared low and smiled as the scent of salt water reached her. She was flying back to Palmacosta when she Martel and Kratos talking on the docks.

'_Wasn't Mara back in Izoold? No ships have come in since the worm incident… how did she get here?'_

Colette couldn't puck up their conversation, but just as she was about to criticize herself for spying, Martel mock-saluted and took off into the air.

With wings.

Bright green wings that were incredibly similar to Colette's own, and Kratos didn't even blink.

Colette was too shocked to move, and Martel noticed her.

The green haired girl's eyes widened, "Y-you saw that?" she squeaked.

Colette nodded, slowly.

Martel sighed, "I am in so much trouble…"

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Another chapter down!

Review plz? –doesn't have time for a long note-


	11. Revealed

"You're an angel!" Colette finally exclaimed.

"Sort of." Martel said, "I guess you could call me your liaison to Cruxis… well, Kratos's. But I really am an old friend of his and Anna's- I didn't lie about that!" Martel thought quickly and managed to cover her tracks.

"So… what…?" Colette stammered, confused, "Wait, are you my real mother?"

Martel's eyes widened, "No! Nonononononononono!" She shook her head rapidly.

Colette sighed, "Oh."

"Colette, Veronica and Frank ARE your real parents. No one should have told you otherwise." Martel assured the young Chosen .

Colette started smiling, "Really?"

"Yes." Martel nodded, "But I have to go. I'll see you soon.

Martel teleported away.

Colette smiled, happy her parents were, well, her parents.

Then she blinked.

"Hey! She didn't answer any questions!"

XXXX

SPLAT.

Yuan's hair dripped onto the ground outside the Iselia schoolhouse. With the town experiencing a strange heat wave, he'd let the children out to play and given them water balloons.

Big mistake.

"Ooh, soaked Yuan. I should probably run." Martel's voice chimed.

Yuan turned, "Mara." He nodded.

Martel smiled, "Soooo, Iblewmycover." She said quickly.

Yuan's eyes widened, he'd managed to understand her. 4000 years of practice. "You what?!"

"Calm down!" Martel exclaimed, putting her hands up in innocence, "It was just Colette and she fell for my liaison line!"

Yuan didn't calm down.

Another water balloon hitting him in the side of the head didn't help either.

"Yuan, it'll be fine! Colette is the last person to-"

"Did you say Colette?"

Martel turned to see Phaidra hobbling over in that unique way that Phaidra hobbled. "Did you see my granddaughter? Is she okay?"

Martel smiled, "I just saw her a few days ago- in Izoold. She's perfectly fine."

Phaidra breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank the goddess. We haven't heard from her."

"She's been very busy. I assure you, she's fine." Martel smiled/

Yuan glanced at the sky, "Kids! Inside!" he called.

Martel said her goodbyes to Phaidra, and turned back to Yuan.

"Stay in town. We'll finish our discussion later." Yuan said sternly, before following the schoolkids into the building.

Martel gulped.

XXXX

"So, we're headed to the Thoda Geyser, then." Raine said.

"Yes." Kratos nodded, "From the research I've been doing, that's the most likely place for the seal to be located. We should leave as soon as possible."

"I'll go get the kids, then." Raine nodded, "They went to go look at the Palmacosta Academy with Anna."

"Ah, I was wondering where they'd gone. I'll go make travel preparations." Kratos nodded.

Raine nodded as well, and the two adults split off, Kratos heading to the sotre stalls and Raine heading to the Palmacosta Academy . Halfway there, she managed to run into Forcystus (almost) again.

"Ah, you seem to like colliding with me. " He smiled, helping her steady herself from her almost slamming into him.

"I'm sorry about that, and earlier." Raine stammered, embarrassed.

"Oh, it's no problem." Forcystus smiled at her again, "Where are you headed?"

"The Academy." Raine said.

"Ah, I see." Forcystus nodded, "It's quite a good school."

"Yes, I know." Raine nodded, "My brother got a recommendation to go there."

"Your brother?" Forcystus asked, "Little Genis?"

Raine nodded. "Yes. He's a smart kid."

Forcystus whistled, "Wow, that is smart."

Raine smiled, "I'm very proud of him. He's done so well, despite-" she stopped herself quickly.

"Despite?" Forcystus echoed.

"It's nothing." Raine insisyted.

"Despite the fact that you two are half elves?" Forcystus guessed.

Raine's eyes widened and she stiffened.

"Don't worry. I won't tell. I'm a half elf as well." Forcystus grinned.

Raine relaxed, "I see."

"It's hard, but the people around you are probably not as judgementaly as you think." Forcystus explained.

"Our village was just attacked by irate half elves a few days ago." Raine said, "If we tell them now, it would be bad."

"I see. Well, I wish you the best of luck." Forcystus said.

"Thank you." Raine was about to continue when a young girl's voice interrupted her.

"FORCY!"

A little blond girl launched herself into Forcystus's arms. He laughed and lifted her up, "Well, hello there, Kilia."

"Your daughter?" Raine guessed.

Forcystus laughed again, "No, no, she's my niece."

"Kilia, I really wish you would stop running off like that." A blong haired female walked over, "Forcystus? Goddess, is that really you?"

"Hello, Clara." Forcystus smiled.

Clara quickly enveloped him in a huge.

"Raine, let me formally introduce you." Forcystus said once Clara broke away from him, "This is my younger sister, Clara, and her daughter, Kilia."

"But she's…" Raine frowned.

"Half-sister, technically." Forcystus corrected himself.

"I see. It's nice to meet you two." Raine said.

"You as well." Clara smiled.

Kilia waved.

Raine smiled.

XXXX

"Lloyd!" Anna walked down the aisles of the library, looking for her son. How she managed to lose Lloyd in a library was beyond her. But she did. Somehow. After being shushed a hundred a sixty two times (she counted) Anna gave up calling out Lloyd's name and decided to try and figure out if anyone had seen him.

She was walking back to the front desk to ask the librarian when she found him.

"There you are." Anna walked over to him. He was sitting at a table a book open, "We're about to leave."

"Oh." Lloyd nodded, "Alright."

"You were reading?" Anna raised an eyebrow.

Lloyd shut the book and stood up, "It's no big deal. I just wanted to check on something. Let's go."

Before Anna could say anything else, Lloyd was out the door.

Anna glanced at the title of the book.

"Ancient Myths and Legends…" Anna frowned, "I wonder what's up…"

XXXX

"Mystera!" Lloyd called.

The blue protozoan burst out of the water and squeaked.

"We gotta go, okay?" Lloyd smiled, "I'll see you at the Thoda Geyser."

Another squeak.

"Yep, I will. You be careful too." Lloyd waved, and the two split ways, Lloyd going to meet with his family and Mystera diving back underwater.

XXXX

"There's no path?" Genis blinked, "How do we know if we're going the right way?"

The group was standing on the outskirts of Palmacosta, close enough that there were no monsters around, but far enough away that the city sounds had all but vanished from the air. Lloyd was rubbing Noishe on the head, Sheena was chatting animatedly with Anna, Colette was staring off into the distance, and Raine and Kratos were looking at a map.

"It's just north." Kratos answered, "As long as we don't veer off that direction, we'll be fine."

"But what about camping?!" Genis asked.

"We'll make sure we mark the direction." Raine assured him, "We won't get lost."

Kratos folded up the map, "Well, we should head out." He said.

"Right." Sheena grinned, ready to go. She was really starting to relax around the group, which worried Kratos a bit, since the group was relaxing around her as well, Colette in particular.

But that was a worry for another time. The girl had yet to show signs of untrustworthy behavior.

The group set off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There's a huge reveal on the way! ^^

Hope you enjoyed! Review! Urge the writing bug on, since it won't leave me alone!!


	12. Geyser

They reached the dock around noon the next day, despite Genis's doubt. Everything looked peaceful and crowded- the Geyser was a popular tourist spot after all.

"Please tell me that's not a washtub." Raine begged.

Well, mostly peaceful.

"That's a washtub. In you go." Lloyd pushed Raine in and hopped in with her. "Meet you at the Geyser." He said to his parents and friends and began to row the washtub.

Mystera poked her head out of the water and squeaked. Lloyd smiled in return.

Lloyd pulled his washtub into the dock at the Geyser and helped Raine out. The professor proceeded to start molesting the ground, which made Lloyd immediately look away.

Right at Colette and Kratos's washtub.

Which was when he noticed something was wrong.

"Dad! Colette!" Lloyd shouted. Their washtub was taking on water.

A lot of water.

In other words, they were sinking.

Kratos had an arm around Colette's waist, the Chosen trying desperately to stay above the water. Her being the Chosen had caused her to be unable to go swimming even if she went with Lloyd and Genis to the river.

Lack of swimming experience meant one thing.

She couldn't swim.

"Mystera!!" Lloyd called out, but the protozoan did not appear.

"Colette!" Anna shouted, reaching out for the girl from her and Sheena's washtub. Colette reached, but couldn't quite reach the woman's hands. "Sheena, get me closer!"

"I'm trying!!" Sheena shouted, paddling desperately.

Finally, Anna got a grip on Colette's arm and pulled her up into the washtub. The Chosen coughed up the water that had settled itself into her lungs and Sheena and Anna quickly brought the washtub to shore.

"Colette!" Lloyd helped her out of the washtub and onto the dock.

"I'm okay." Colette assured him, "Thank you, Anna."

"It's nothing, Colette." Anna assured her, "I'm just glad you're safe."

Kratos pulled himself up onto the dock as Genis made it there safely as well.

"Let's get up away from this dock." Kratos said, "Then we can sit and rest."

The group agreed, and they headed up to the tourist infested area near the geyser. Taking a seat on the benches, Colette leaned back and looked up at the sky, breathing heavily.

"I think we should stop for awhile." Anna said, "Colette needs to rest. She sucked down a lot of sea water."

Colette shook her head, "No, no, I'm fine!" she assured, "I just want to rest for a minute, then we can look for the seal!"

Lloyd frowned, "Colette…"

"Really, I'm fine!" Colette smiled, "I'm sorry for holding everyone back."

"Stop apologizing!" Lloyd and Anna scolded at the same time.

Colette laughed cautiously.

XXXX

Ten minutes later, they split up to look for the seal. Peeking around sign boards and behind tourists, they looked like an odd group.

"What are we looking for?" Sheena asked Lloyd.

"The Oracle Stone." Lloyd answered.

Sheena blinked.

"Colette can use it to open the seal." Lloyd explained.

"Wait, seal?" Sheena asked, "Colette's the Chosen?"

Lloyd nodded, "Yeah… you didn't figure that out?"

"No…" Sheena blinked.

"Found it!" Genis exclaimed, pointing at the oracle stone.

Colette hurried over, "Awesome!" she grinned at him, placing her hand tentatively on the stone and watching as a bridge of glowing light appeared leading to a ledge where a rock vanished.

"Wow!" Genis grinned, running up the bridge, "This is so cool!"

The rest of the group followed him and they entered the seal. The air inside was humid and sticky, making everyone uncomfortable, and Raine and Colette's hair quite frizzy.

Genis snickered.

"Stop it!" Raine smacked him. "It doesn't look that bad!"

Her hair was sticking up in odd directions, making for a funny sight.

So funny, in fact, that it distracted Genis to the point where he tripped over a clam shell and landed smack on his face in the middle of the walkway.

As he stood up, grumbling, he kicked the shell, "Stupid clam." He said as he vaulted the shell over the edge of the walkway with his foot.

The group kept walking, but then they heard a roar from behind them.

Turning around, they saw that the clam Genis had kicked had teeth.

And friends.

With teeth.

"Run!" Kratos shouted, having no idea how to fight a clam shell. Agreeing, the group took off towards the nearest open door, the angry-clam-shells-with-friends-and-teeth chasing them.

They didn't get a reprieve until they reached an area with two unlit torches. Colette used the sorcerers ring to light them both, and then Genis used an Aqua Edge spell to fill the container with water.

And voila, the platform with the teleporter raised up to their level.

"Is everyone ready for this battle?" Kratos asked.

Of course, he was fine. As always.

The others were fine as well, though. A little tired out from their run, but otherwise just fine.

Kratos nodded, and they headed through the teleporter.

XXXX

"Mana! It's happening again!" Genis said, surprised.

Sure enough, a blue light appeared, and Adulocia and her two Amphitras appeared, weapons at the ready.

"God damn it." Anna cursed, before soaring into battle, Katar at the ready. This was Sheena's first seal battle, or well, seal in the first place, so she whipped out her cards, only to get hit with a large blast of water and sent flying backwards.

"Sheena!" Lloyd shouted, catching her.

"Thanks." Sheena said, uprighting herself, "Never doing that again." She held back and cast, "Pyre seal!"

Lloyd hurried into battle, slashing at the monsters.

"COLD NOSE!" Anna shouted, stabbing her Katar into the Adulocia's face.

"Anna, that is NOT a tech and I don't even know why you would think it would be!" Kratos shouted at her.

"It is so!" Anna pouted, pointing at the Adulocia who was clutching her frozen nose.

Kratos blinked.

"Slippery Paper!" Anna grinned, stabbing the ground.

The Adulocia slipped on a piece of paper that appeared and fell backwards, landing on its butt.

Kratos's eyes widened.

Anna stuck her tongue out at him. "Pink soap!" she shouted, and suddenly everyone near her was healed.

"This is insane." Kratos muttered.

"Dad! Battle!" Lloyd shouted, slashing at the one remaining Amphitra with his swords and causing it to vanish.

"Right." Kratos went back to the battle, and soon enough it was done.

Colette walked up and started to pray, her wings appearing and lifting her into the air as she released the seal, and Remiel descended.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I AM ON A ROLL.

EXPECT ANOTHER ONE TODAY.

I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M TALKING IN ALL CAPS.

REVIEW PLEASE! KEEP ME GOING!


	13. Assassin

Don't kill me for the length, please.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sky was darkening when the group finally made it out of the seal. Being almost nighttime, the tourists had cleared the area, and just in time because the moment she stepped off the glowing bridge, she fell to the ground, Lloyd rushing in to catch her.

"Colette!"

"She just needs to rest." Kratos said, "We'll stop here for the night and get an early start in the morning."

Lloyd nodded and his father helped him lay Colette down on one of the mats so she could rest.

"I'm sorry to be a bother…" she said, softly, painfully.

"Stop it, Colette." Lloyd said.

XXXX

Sheena looked up at the water seal.

'_Should I? I mean… I'm here, and what are the chances of coming BACK to Sylvarant?'_ she frowned. It was still early evening, no one was asleep.

"Lloyd?" Sheena asked the red-clad swordsman, "What do you think of me going to get a pact with Undine?"

"Right now?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we're here, and we're not leaving anytime soon." Sheena said, "And it's better than just sitting here."

"Sure." Lloyd nodded, "I'll come with you. Lemme just tell my dad."

Lloyd hurried over to his father to tell him what was going on, and Raine immediately insisted on coming along. The three of them walked back up the glowing bridge to the seal entrance.

Since all the traps were already bypassed, it only took them a few minutes to make it to the seal room. Sheena approached the altar.

Undine appeared, "Ah, a summoner. It's been a long time."

"I request a pact with the spirit Undine." Sheena spoke calmly.

"Unfortunately, I cannot." Undine said, "I already am bound to a summoner named Mithos."

Raine stiffened, "What?"

"I am bound to one named Mithos." Undine repeated.

"The HERO Mithos?!"

Lloyd resisted the urge to smack his head with his hand.

"Oh." Sheena said.

"Ask her if she can cancel out the first pact." Lloyd said, "It's a possibility."

"Oh, right." Sheena turned back, "I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact with me."

Undine's eyes shut, "Let it be done." She spoke, "My pact has been annulled, however, I still cannot make a pact with you."

"What? Why?" Sheena asked, surprised.

"I require four fighters in my test. Other spirits may not, but since I have some that fight with me, I require the summoner to have three partners." Undine said, "You only have two."

"Oh." Sheena frowned.

"We'll go back and get my dad or something." Lloyd said.

"No, it's getting late. We can go in the morning." Sheena said, "I'll be back, Undine. You can count on it." She smirked.

"I'm looking forward to it." The spirit smiled, before vanishing.

XXXX

Colette walked out towards the docks late that night. She's given Kratos a reprieve from being night watch, and since the man knew she couldn't sleep anyway, he'd agreed to let her take over.

She stood at the docks, closing her eyes and letting the wind play with her long hair, knowing it wouldn't be much longer until she couldn't feel the wind at all.

She shivered a little. The breeze was cold.

Suddenly, Mystera dove out of the water and landed on top of Colette, making her fall to the wood planks of the dock.

"Ah!" Colette cried, surprised, "Mystera?"

One of the claws from Mystera's back moved to Colette's neck and dug sluightly into the skin.

Colette's eyes widened.

Just as Mystera was about to finish the job, Noishe slammed into her and threw her off of Colette.

Colette grabbed her neck and pressed against the wound so that too much blood wouldn't seep out.

The sounds of yelping and squeaking woke up Kratos. He stood up, immediately hurrying over to Colette.

"I'm fine!" Colette insisted, "Help Noishe!"

Kratos nodded and ran to Noishe, pulling Mystera away.

The aquan's form shifted into a creepy black and purple half elf monster.

"Hyah!" Lloyd stabbed the monster in the heart. It fell to the ground, dead.

Lloyd panted, "I had a feeling something was up with you."

"You knew?" Kratos asked, surprised.

"There's no such thing as Aquan bonding." Lloyd answered simply, before running to Colette.


	14. Bandit

Everything in the group had been incredibly awkward since Mystera's betrayal. Kratos contacted Martel, who was able to find out the fake aquan was a half elf with the power to shapeshift. She was a renegade, and also the assassin they'd sent to kill Colette.

This, of course, left the question of who the hell Sheena was.

The wound on Colette's neck was healing- Raine's healing spells hadn't done much more than stop the bleeding and Kratos wasn't supposed to know more than First Aid yet. The Chosen had a bandage wrapped around it and was forced to continually assure everyone that she was FINE and they should STOP worrying about her.

They had yet to actually listen.

"OH MY GOD! IT'S YELLOW!" Anna suddenly shouted, pointing off in the distance.

Kratos raised an eyebrow. "What are you pointing at, Anna?"

"The SKY!" Anna pointed again, jumping up and down.

"Anna, most people call that the sun." Kratos spoke calmly.

"BUT IT'S YELLOW!"

"Which is the normal color for the sun."

Lloyd, Genis, Sheena and Colette started laughing, Colette disguising it better than the other three.

Anna frowned. "BUT IT'S-"

"Don't." Kratos cut her off. "Don't even repeat it."

"Yellow." Anna stuck her tongue out at him.

Kratos sighed.

"What's with you mom?" Lloyd asked, in between laughs.

Anna shrugged, "I figured everyone could use a little cheering up, and acting like an idiot usually gets the job done."

The group was walking towards Hakonsia Peak, and it was well past noon the next day. The trip to the mountain pass was LONG, and had only one real stop on the way- a House of Salvation that was quite a ways away still.

"Heads up!" Raine called, "Bandits!"

Sure enough, a group of bandits in scruffy, tattered, dirty, randomly mismatched expensive clothing they'd stolen from various places and people was charging towards them. Lloyd unsheathed his two swords and stood in front of Colette.

"Pow Hammer!" The Chosen shouted. A giant red hammer clanged into one of the bandits' heads and made him crash to the ground unconscious.

Anna knocked one out with the blunt side of her katar while Sheena knocked one down with her Pyre seal. Kratos and Lloyd took the leader down quickly. They thought they were done until they heard a loud, female scream.

Lloyd raced off towards the source of the scream to see two other bandits holding a struggling brown haired girl. He and Sheena were the fastest, so they got there first, angrily knocking the two bandits down.

"Sheena, get her out of here!" Lloyd shouted as the bandits stood up. Sheena nodded and helped the girl up, hurrying back towards the group. Lloyd blindly stabbed his swords towards the two bandits, and one entered a body part with a sickening squelch.

Lloyd quickly pulled it out, shocked, as the other bandit turned tail and fled, leaving his comrade to die. Kratos came up behind him. "Lloyd. Lloyd, look at me." Kratos snapped.

Lloyd didn't move- shocked still. He'd KILLED someone.

He'd killed someone he'd killed someone oh goddess he'd killed someone.

"Lloyd!" Colette shouted.

The swordsman snapped back to reality, turning in Colette's direction, only to be immediately embraced in a hug.

XXXX

They stopped there for the night, and after Raine finished healing the girl, Kratos and Anna sat down with the girl to talk to her.

"Thank you so much for saving me." She said softly, I was kidnapped by those bandits almost two weeks ago."

Anna's eyes widened, "Two weeks?!"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Well, you're safe now." Kratos said, "My name is Kratos Aurion. This is my wife, Anna, our son Lloyd, Raine Sage and her younger brother Genis, Colette Brunel, the Chosen, and Sheena Fujibayashi."

"My name is Chocolat." The girl said, "Thank you again."

"You said your name was Chocolate?" Anna's eyes widened, "Are you related to a Cacao?"

"Yes, that's my mother's name!" Chocolat said.

Anna squealed.

Kratos blinked.

"She's my friend!" Anna said, "We grew up together! I haven't seen her in years!"

"I'm sure she'll be happy to see you again, then." Kratos said, "Chocolat, do you live in Luin?"

"Yes." Chocolat nodded.

"We can put you on a caravan in Asgard. We have a seal to go to between Asgard and Luin, so we can't accompany you the entire way." Kratos spoke.

"Oh, that's fine!" Chocolat said, "Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem." Anna smiled at her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I knowwww, it's short… But I need to do another time skip and those are easier in between chapters and I didn't want to put anything stupid in here, so I'm just gonna post it and get on with the next chapter.

And yes. Mystera IS Kilia. Well, the Kilia imposter from the game. The Kilia here is the real Kilia.

Review?


	15. Regret

"Wooooow!" Colette grinned, leaning over the uselessly small fence that separated tourists from the nauseatingly deep chasm that Asgard was built precariously close to. Lloyd and Kratos both jumped as she got close, apparently forgetting that the girl had wings and would be perfectly fine if she was to trip as per usual.

"Colette, you shouldn't get so close," Raine spoke, "You might fall."

Colette stepped back, "Sorry, professor." She beamed at the woman, who simply smiled. "Chocolat, isn't it cool?!"

Chocolat was as engrossed in the giant, deadly hole as the Chosen was, and nodded enthusiastically.

"Come on, you two!" Anna called to them from up the path, "We need to get rooms at the Inn."

Colette and Chocolat glanced around to find that everyone had gone separate ways, all having their own tasks. Anna, Colette and Chocolat's, apparently, was getting Inn rooms. The two girls quickly ran over to the older woman who smiled and began to skip happily towards the Inn down the street.

"Miss Anna?" Chocolat asked.

"Just Anna." Anna said, "Yes?"

"Why are we skipping that Inn?" Chocolat asked, pointing to the small Inn they had just passed.

"It's smaller." Anna said, "There are quite a few of us, and I don't think that Inn has enough rooms." She explained, "The one on the cliff up there is super expensive. This one here," she pointed to the one they were heading to, "Is medium sized and medium priced."

"Oh." Chocolat said, "I see."

"Yep." Anna smiled, "Kratos and I are going to take you to find a caravan tomorrow. It's late, and caravans for the day have already left."

"Okay." Chocolat smiled back, "Thank you."

"No problem." Anna beamed, opening the door for the two girls.

XXXX

"Dad! Wait up!" Lloyd jogged to catch up with his father, who was ahead of him, looking at a stall filled with gels of all colors and flavors. Lloyd had gotten distracted by the weapon shop's display, looking longingly at a pair of swords he couldn't afford.

Kratos slowed, letting his son catch up and told the lady behind the stall what he needed. The woman quickly got the various gels and medicines together, handing them to him in a bag just as Lloyd finally caught up, "Geez, dad." He panted, "You move too fast.

"You just get distracted easily." Kratos said, heading toward the next stall with a short thanks to the woman.

Lloyd rolled his eyes, "What else do we need to get?" he asked.

"A new pair of boots and a jacket for Chocolat." Kratos said, "She'll need both, even if she is going with a caravan back to Luin. Winter will be setting in soon, probably before she makes it back to Luin."

"Oh." Lloyd said, glancing up at the cloudy sky, "It has been getting colder lately. Dad, does it snow around here?"

"Occasionally." Kratos nodded, "But snow is much more likely near Luin and Hima rather than here."

"Well, we're heading there after the wind seal anyway." Lloyd grinned.

Kratos chuckled softly, "Yes, of course. Come on, Lloyd, you're falling behind again."

Lloyd eeped and hurried to catch up.

XXXX

"Raine?" Genis asked his sister as he, Sheena, and the professor walked through the slightly crowded main part of town, looking for any information as to where the seal might be.

Raine turned, "Yes?"

"Have you noticed Lloyd acting… weird lately?" Genis asked, "He seems to get angry faster."

"Well, he did just go through something difficult." Raine said, "He was close to Mystera, and then she just betrayed him like that."

Genis shook his head, "He said he'd been suspecting Mystera since Palmacosta. That's not it."

Sheena spoke up, "Maybe he's just anxious? I mean, he killed someone less than a week ago…"

"But it's been happening since before that." Genis frowned, "Otherwise I'd say yeah…"

"Enough of this." Raine said, stopping the conversation, "If Lloyd is acting odd, his parents would have noticed by now. Neither of them have said anything, and the two of you should not be worrying over this. Now come on, we have a lot of information to gather and it's beginning to get dark."

"Okay, Raine." Genis nodded, as Sheena nodded as well, but her thoughts stayed on Lloyd and his weird behavior, regardless of the professor's lecture.

XXXX

"Hey, Colette." Lloyd smiled at the girl, "Wanna go for a walk?"

Colette hopped up, "Sure." She chirped.

"Don't go too far." Kratos warned. Lloyd rolled his eyes at his father and he and Colette left the house, walking down the narrow path that led towards the residential area of Asgard.

"Did you want to talk about something?" Colette asked him, smiling in his direction.

Lloyd smiled a little back, "I just wanted to spend some time with you while we had the chance."

"Ah, okay." Colette smiled, turning to look at the path they were walking along, "I really like this city… it's very peaceful."

Lloyd glanced up at the sky, "It is. Quiet, too. Relaxing."

Colette glanced at him and smiled a little, "Exactly."

Lloyd turned her way again and smiled back. He was about to speak when suddenly a flake of snow fell slowly between the two of them.

"Snow!" Colette said, surprised, and looking up. Sure enough, it was starting to snow, which confused Lloyd a little, since he could have sworn it wasn't cold enough yet for it to snow. But he didn't complain. "Lloyd, look, isn't it pretty?"

Lloyd smiled at the girl, "It is." He nodded, watching as Colette started to giggle and play in the falling snow. "Colette?"

Colette turned, "Yes, Lloyd?" she asked, smiling a little at him.

Lloyd walked over and held her close, his heart wrenching. Colette's eyes widened. "Lloyd?" she asked, but Lloyd didn't let her go. He never wanted to let her go. He didn't want her to give up her life, he didn't want her to have to do anything for Sylvarant- for something Martel didn't even know would work!

"Lloyd, what's wrong?" Colette asked him, confused, but not disliking his embrace.

Lloyd pulled back and kissed Colette, whose eyes widened. When Lloyd pulled away, he said three small words before running back to the inn, leaving Colette standing there, shocked. Her hand flew up to her lips and she felt a tear run down her cheek. "Lloyd…"


	16. Demon

Things were very awkward between Lloyd and Colette over the next couple of days, and every member of the group noticed it. Lloyd avoided her whenever possible, and Colette blushed whenever he was around. Sheena suspected something had happened, and Chocolat even tried to ask Colette, but only received a series of stuttered, embarrassed replies before the Chosen hurried off, managing to, somehow, not trip over her own feet.

The entire group was now saying goodbye to their temporary companion, Chocolat, who was about to set off with a small caravan who had been more than happy to help out the Chosen's companion. The Regeneration group was leaving the next morning to head for the wind seal, which they'd been able to figure out was in the Balacruft Mausoleum.

Unfortunately, they also heard that the Balacruft Mausoleum was locked and that no one they had talked to knew how to open it.

Besides bashing the door down.

Yes. That WAS Anna's idea.

So, after bidding adieu to their temporary companion, the group split off into smaller groups of two to find out any information on how to open the door to the seal. They had a mission, and they had less than 24 hours to accomplish it.

XXXX

"THIS IS HOPELESS!" Anna growled, plopping down onto the ground. Sheena was in her group, and she was a little surprised at the older woman's behavior- usually she was a bundle of optimism, except when the task involved walking or strenuous activity. Anna didn't consider talking to be strenuous, so this "activity" didn't exactly qualify.

"Maybe one of the others had more luck." Sheena suggested, trying to bring the woman's spirits back up, but she only received a disgruntled sigh in response.

Sheena sighed softly.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, to the point where Sheena had to shut her eyes to keep from something flying into them, "What the—" she looked around once it slowed a little, only for it to pick up again. Anna stood up, a hand shielding her vulnerable eyes as she tried to figure out what was going on.

"The wind demon!" someone cried, "Get the children in the caves!"

Exchanging a short glance, Sheena and Anna took off running to try and help.

XXXX

"Wind demon?" Lloyd echoed as he and his father ran towards the caves where citizens were hiding to make sure everyone was safe.

"I haven't heard anything of any kind of wind demon." Kratos said, "I'll have to ask Martel next time she comes by.

Almost as if on cue, the angel appeared next to Kratos, running to catch up, her twin swallowtailed tunic flying behind her. "I only just got word of it! It goes after young females- it's at the dais!"

Kratos and Lloyd adjusted their direction and ran up the stairs, Martel on their heels, and found an angry wind demon floating above the ceremonial dais that was Asgard's pride and joy.

"I demand a sacrifice!" it shouted, growling loudly. Lloyd grabbed his swords, gripping them tightly as he hopped onto the dais.

"Yeah, I don't think so." The red-clad boy smirked.

"Martel, make sure everyone else stays down there." Kratos ordered, pulling his wings out, "I'm taking care of this quickly."

Martel nodded and ran back down the stairs to make sure there would be no witnesses to the battle that was about to take place.

XXXX

"You have to let me out! My sister's still out there!" A young man of maybe 20 fought against the man blocking the exit to one of the caves.

The man stood strong, "Linar, Aisha is probably in the other cave." He said, "Stay here- it's too dangerous with the wind demon out there!"

"She's not! She was out shopping- she's probably hurt!" Linar shouted.

Sheena hurried up to the man, "I'll find her, then." She said, stern, "I'm a fighter- I'm accompanying the Chosen. I can take care of myself." With that, she ducked under the man's arm, ignoring Anna's shouts for her to 'get her ass back in the cave right now, young lady!' and running towards the marketplace.

Once she got there, she realized she really was quite an idiot, because she had no idea what this girl looked like at all. "Aisha?!" she called out, but got no answer. She climbed up to the top level of the market area and looked around, finally finding a woman crouched in a shallow cave, trembling. Her arm was bleeding severely, and she was bruised in several places. It looked like the strong winds had knocked her into something.

Sheena ran over, "Are you Aisha?" she asked as she took ripped off a piece of cloth from the end of her long bow and began to bandage the wound on the woman's arm.

She nodded, wincing in pain, "Yes, that's my name. How did you know?"

"I was in the cave with your brother." Sheena smiled shakily, tying off the bandage, "He's worried sick. Come on, we need to get you somewhere safe."

Suddenly a strong wind hit and several rocks fell from the cliff above them. Sheena shielded the woman with her defense spell, wincing as the rocks slammed into her shield causing it to ripple and eventually fall, thankfully after the danger had passed.

"And fast." Sheena added, helping the girl up. The two hurried out of the danger zone and to the cave Sheena had come from. Upon seeing them, Linar ran over.

"Aisha!" he shouted, surprised, "You're hurt!"

"I'll be okay, thanks to Sheena." Aisha smiled at the girl, who nodded, exhausted.

Anna walked over and smacked Sheena over the head, "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"S-sorry, Anna…" Sheena said, biting her lip, "I just wanted to help…"

Anna scowled, "Well, helping's overrated," she snapped, "and you shouldn't be putting yourself in danger like that anymore."

Aisha bowed to the woman, "I'm sorry for making her put herself in danger for me, miss." She said.

Anna sighed, "Whatever. At least Kratos didn't find out. He'd be angry."

True, over the past few days of travel, Kratos and Anna had become attached to the girl who they had originally suspected of being an assassin. They were still wary of her, but she had had plenty of opportunities to attempt to assassinate Colette, and she hadn't. Plus, Mystera had been confirmed to be the Renegade assassin, so they really had no idea who Sheena was.

XXXX

Lloyd collapsed, panting, as the winds died down and the demon vanished, leaving behind a stone tablet. Kratos folded his wings away and picked it up.

"Well, I think we found our key." He said, "Raine should take a look at this. I'm not supposed to know what it says."

Lloyd chuckled, "Let's go tell everyone it's safe." He said, struggling up, but collapsing back down, "Or I could just stay here. Oww."

Kratos sighed and swung the boy into a piggyback. "Only to the Inn."

Lloyd was too tired to care, murmuring a sleepy, "…Kay…" as he drifted to slumber on his father's back.

Kratos smiled a little.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So, about the previous chapter. Just because Lloyd kissed Colette does not mean that they're paired up. Honestly, no one kisses someone for the first time and then all the sudden they're gonna get married and have tons of little babies. It just doesn't work that way.

This story is FAR from over, and there are plenty of twists and turns to come. The pairings will vary as the story goes on, and the characters will grow. Lloyd likes Colette now, sure, but maybe it's just out of sympathy, and maybe he's confused.

I never said what the three words were.

Anyway, I love reviews because I love to hear what you think and they keep me putting chapters out at this speed instead of a slower one.

Well, Kelly helps with that too. She's drawing me pretty pictures.

Review?


	17. Tablet

Lloyd blinked blearily as the bedroom he was in came slightly into focus. Colette was sitting by his side, and her eyes widened as she saw his open. "Lloyd!" she shouted.

Lloyd glanced over, blinking a few more times and finally getting the world into focus, "Colette…"

"How are you feeling? Are you still hurt?" Colette fussed over him.

"Colette." Lloyd repeated.

"I'm so sorry for not helping, I mean, I didn't know you were up there fighting and…"

"Colette!" Lloyd snapped.

Colette immediately shut up, "Yes?"

"I'm fine." Lloyd said, sitting up, "Where is everyone?"

"The Professor is downstairs with a scholar from the village trying to decipher the tablet that you and Mr. Kratos got after defeating that monster." Colette explained, "Everyone else went out to make sure the townspeople were okay, but they told me to stay here." She blushed slightly.

Lloyd sighed, "Colette, about the other day…" he frowned.

Colette glanced over.

"I… didn't mean to spring that on you. I shouldn't have kissed you like that." Lloyd said.

Colette smiled sadly, "It's okay, Lloyd!" she chirped, "Let's just pretend it never happened!"

Lloyd smiled weakly, "That sounds good."

"Well, I'm gonna go tell the Professor you're up." Colette stood up, "See you soon." She left the room, and Lloyd laid back down, sighing.

XXXX

A few minutes later, Raine walked in and laid a hand on Lloyd's forehead to check his temperature.

"Colette had to drag you away from the tablet, huh?" Lloyd asked.

Raine glared at him.

Lloyd ducked under the covers, as if they'd offer protection.

"You seem fine." Raine said, "Get up and take Colette somewhere. She's restless, I can tell."

Lloyd nodded and jumped out of bed, immediately regretting it because his head spun. Once he regained a sense of balance, he pulled his jacket on and walked down the stairs. Raine was back at the tablet with a man that Lloyd didn't recognize but assumed was the scholar Colette had told him about.

Raine pointed to the other room, and Lloyd walked in there to see Colette. It was clear the girl was as restless as Raine had said.

"Hey, Colette." Lloyd said. "You look restless. C'mon, let's go find the others."

Colette jumped up, "Lloyd, you're up? Are you okay?"

Lloyd smiled, "I'm fine. Come on." He led her out of the inn.

XXXX

"Kratos, you okay?" Anna asked her husband, who seemed slightly distracted.

Kratos glanced over, "I'm fine." He said, "Look up there." He pointed to something far up on the cliff face.

Anna glanced up, "I don't see anything…" she frowned.

Kratos frowned as well. "Maybe I'm imagining it. Also, where did Martel go?" he grumbled.

"Vanished, I suppose." Anna shrugged, "She'll be back, it's Martel."

"True." Kratos admitted.

XXXX

Meanwhile, in Iselia, Martel narrowly made it back before Yuan noticed she was gone. Yuan had her under house arrest in his temporary house (which also happened to be Kratos and Anna's normal house), and she'd snuck out when Pronyma had informed her of the incident happening in Asgard.

Plopping onto the couch in their living room, she sighed. "Yuan, I feel like a prisoner." She mumbled.

Yuan walked in, "You should."

Martel glared at him. "You're not my father, y'know. I shouldn't be letting you boss me around like this."

Yuan raised an eyebrow. "And yet you are." He said.

Martel huffed.

"One more day." Yuan said, "Then you're free to go."

"Good." Martel huffed again.

XXXX

"Ready to go?" Raine asked. It was the next morning, early, and the tired group was standing at the arch that led into Asgard.

"Mmm." Lloyd nodded, yawning.

Anna pushed her son forward, "Forward march." She said.

Lloyd fell over instead.

Anna sighed. "Maybe leaving early was a bad idea." She said, as she lifted him to his feet.

Genis yawned as well, "Can we just get going? Standing still is making me even more tired."

"Right." Anna said, dragging her son forward, as the rest of the group followed and they set off for the wind seal, the Balacruft Mausoleum.

And then they all passed out halfway there. (Except Kratos of course.)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back to plot! Woot.

Remember how I said last chapter that Kelly drew me pretty pictures? Well, she finished one! It's L'Martel!

http: // ravenwolf-zero . deviantart . com/ art/ L-Martel-124700090

Just remove the spaces.

Also, sorry for the short chapter. Next one coming tomorrow or Kelly will kill me.

Or worse, not finish the rest of the pictures.

Review?


	18. Portrait

With a little bit of a struggle due to exhaustion, the group managed to get to the Mausoleum in one piece. They camped the night outside the big white tomb and the next morning, headed in. The map revealed an oracle stone, which opened the door, and the group proceeded inside the building.

"Dank, dreary, and dusty. Sounds like a graveyard to me." Anna said, sniffling. "Also, I never had allergies before, but I don't like what the dust is doing to my nose."

"Air Thrust." Kratos cast quickly, clearing the air in front of them, "Better?"

Anna smiled and nodded, "Thanks, honey."

"Can we go?" Lloyd asked, "I don't like this place."

"Right, right." Anna nodded. "Hey, where'd Raine disappear to?"

Sure enough, the half elf had vanished.

"This is one big ruin." Genis said, "She could be anywhere. We should just let her be and get going."

"Alright." Kratos said, "Come on."

They walked down the first passageway, coming to a hallway filled with spiked traps.

"What, are they afraid of the dead bodies in here getting stolen?" Lloyd cursed as his shoulder got clipped by a trap.

"No, but they are afraid of the valuables those bodies were buried with getting stolen. It's called grave robbing, and it's unfortunately an option." Kratos said, healing his son's shoulder and pushing him forward, "But just be glad there are no man-eating clams."

Lloyd shuddered, "Will do."

"Zombie!" Genis shouted, surprised.

Lloyd and Kratos ran down the path to where the others were, to see a onslaught of zombie after zombie coming at the group.

"God damn it! Dead things should stay dead!" Anna screamed at them, but they didn't stop, just head to her. She screamed, "I hate zombieeeeeees!" she dashed away, screaming the whole way.

Kratos sighed, "Eruption."

A blast of fire cleared the zombies, and his wife poked her head around the corner. "Are they all gone?"

"Yes."

"Good." Anna skipped back out, looking unfazed.

Kratos rolled his eyes.

They continued down the hall they were in.

"So, how long does this place go on?" Genis asked Kratos.

"No idea. Though I'd expect we would have to find a door before we find the actual seal." Kratos spoke.

"Trap! Duck!" Sheena shouted, poofing away just as the trap smashed into where she was. She reappeared behind everyone, breathing a sigh of relief, "That would have killed me."

"Are you okay?!" Colette ran to her side.

"I'm fine, Colette." Sheena assured her. "No worries."

Colette smiled.

"Hey, I found something!" Genis shouted.

The group hurried over to where the young boy was standing. He was pointing to a plaque with something written on it, but it was too dark to see.

"Well, this doesn't help." Anna frowned.

"Here." Kratos said, "There's a torch we can light."

"Yeah, if we had something to light it with." Lloyd said.

"Fireball!" Genis shouted.

The torch burst into flame as everyone turned to Genis.

"What? I was getting tired of Kratos doing all the magic." He said.

Lloyd rolled his eyes.

XXXX

Raine walked down a hallway, not sure how she'd gotten separated from the rest of the group.

"Genis? Lloyd? Where are you?! Anna, Kratos, Sheena? Colette??" Raine called, but got no answer.

She sighed, feeling across the wall so that she'd know if any turns came. It was too dark to see much, so she was relying on feeling the wall so she wouldn't miss a turn.

She noticed a light coming up, so she started running, her feet instinctively avoiding the cracks and ridges in the floor.

She got to the light and saw it was coming from a room. She walked over, pushing the door open all the way, only to see a large painting.

Her eyes widened and she walked in, looking at the painting on the wall. It was a little girl, with green hair that came to her shoulders, and an older man, looking about 14, with blonde hair about the same length. He had his arms around the girl from behind, and they looked like family.

Looking closer, despite the fact that the picture was decaying in places, Raine could see leaves in the girl's hair- very familiar leaves.

"…Mara!" she said, surprised, realizing where she'd recognized the leaves. The little girl was a smaller version of Anna's friend Mara.

But how was she in a picture in the Balacruft Mausoleum?

Raine looked around the room for any idea where the painting had come from, and noticed a plaque on the wall. She walked over, brushing the dust off, and in the dim light of the candles in the room, was able to read the inscription.

"Martel and Mithos, painted by the last surviving prince of the Balacruft era."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Usually I'd forget the authors note so that the final words of the chapter could sink in, but I need to apologize.

IKNOWTHISWASSUPPOSEDTOBEPOSTEDALREADY,BUTIBLAMEKELLYNOTREALLYBUTSTILL.

Done. Review?


	19. Gust

Raine backed away from the plaque and her eyes fell on the painting again.

"The hero Mithos and the goddess Martel?" she murmured to herself, "But… that's definitely Mara… Anna, Kratos, you'd better have an explanation for this." With that, Raine stormed out of the room.

She found the group camped outside the door to the seal room.

"Raine!" Genis jumped up, "Lloyd and Sheena just went to try and find you!"

"Kratos." Raine put her hands on her hips, "I need to speak with you."

The auburn-haired man stood up, "Alright." He nodded, "When Lloyd and Sheena get back, have them stay here." He told his wife, who nodded.

Raine and Kratos walked away from the group, through the winding hallways back to the room Raine had found the painting in. She pointed to it and spoke, "Explain."

Kratos raised an eyebrow, "Explain what? It's an old painting. A good one, at that."

"The little girl looks exactly like Mara." Raine said.

Kratos looked more carefully, "There is a resemblance."

"They're identical, Kratos." Raine crossed her arms, "And it's labeled 'Mithos and Martel.' Not only that, but it was painted by the last prince of the Balacruft era- thousands of years ago."

"The prince was a good artist." Kratos said, looking the picture over.

"Kratos!" Raine snapped.

Kratos turned to her, "What?"

"Why is there a painting of your wife's friend in the Balacruft Mausoleum?!" Raine shouted.

Kratos sighed, "If I explain, you must keep quiet."

Raine's eyes narrowed.

"Honestly, it's not going to harm anyone." Kratos said, "Mara is a direct descendant of the hero Mithos."

Raine froze, "What?"

"All girls in his family once were named Martel, but his younger sister became the goddess. At that point, they changed the names of the girls to just begin with the letter 'M.' Mara is from that family line. That's why they look so similar." Kratos explained, "But you must keep it quiet. If this knowledge got out to the general public, it could cause chaos for Mara and her family."

Raine sighed, "Very well." Raine said, "But you have to tell me the rest of the story!" she slipped into ruin-mode, "It's obvious you know things about the hero Mithos that I do not!"

Kratos chuckled, "Of course." He said, breathing a mental sigh of relief that Raine's quirk had saved him.

Raine looked at the picture, "So the goddess was once a human…"

"Half-elf." Kratos corrected.

"What?" Raine's eyes widened.

"Martel was a half-elf when she was a child." Kratos repeated.

Raine looked back at the painting, "So Mithos…"

"Also a half elf. Come on, I'll tell you more later." Kratos headed for the door.

Raine spoke again, "Kratos, who are you descended from, to know all this?"

Kratos chuckled and left.

XXXX

They met up with the rest of the group, and after about an hour more of rest, the group readied themselves to head inside.

"Seal beast time." Genis said, swinging his kendama.

"You're happy about this?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"No, but I am itching to fight." Genis shrugged, "I hate just sitting around."

Colette giggled and Kratos opened the door. They headed up the stairs to the roof of the Mausoleum.

"It's coming!" Genis shouted as a giant bird appeared before them and charged.

Anna ducked, "AGH!" she shouted as the feathers grazed her, "Those things are sharp!" she cursed.

The Iapyx swooped around, coming up on Kratos, who immediately called Guardian.

"THUNDER BLADE!" Genis cast, the giant sword coming down and slamming into the beast, who was stunned, but not much hurt.

"Genis, cast ground spells!" Lloyd shouted, ducking as a barrage of feathers came his way. Colette countered with her own blast of feathers and Sheena slapped a pyre seal on the Iapyx's wing and ducking as it slashed at her.

"Right!" Genis nodded, hurrying out of the way. Raine cast Photon and managed to get a little damage done, but not much.

"STALAGMITE!" Genis shouted. The giant pointed rock shot out of the ground and slammed into the Iapyx, causing the first thing resembling damage since the beginning of the battle.

"Yeah!" Anna grinned, dashing in and slashing at it, "Hey, my attack hit!"

"After Genis casts, everyone attack!" Kratos shouted.

Everyone shouted their agreements as the thing charged for Anna who shrieked and ran towards her husband.

A giant gust of wind blew at her and she went flying.

Off the edge of the roof.

She screamed loudly as she tumbled towards the ground, Colette immediately diving off the roof and flying down to catch her.

"Mrs. Anna!" she shouted, catching the woman, "Are you okay?!"

Anna breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm fine." She nodded as Colette deposited her on the roof. Anna collapsed to the ground, trying to catch her breath and slow her heart as Kratos ran over.

"I'm okay." Anna assured him, "Genis is about to cast. You have to attack."

Kratos nodded, and he and Colette ran towards the Iapyx just as Genis sent off another Stalagmite spell. A massive barrage of attacks from every member of the group caused the Iapyx to fall to the ground and fade away.

Kratos walked over to help his wife up as Raine healed everyone's wounds. Colette stepped up to the altar and began her prayer.

The angel descended from the 'heavens' and began to speak. Once Colette was given her new power, he vanished.

Raine and Sheena helped Colette off to the side. Once she was sitting down, Sheena stood up, "Everyone, I have a question."

The group glanced at her, "Yes, Sheena?" Kratos asked.

"I know Colette's angel toxicosis is about to kick in, but while we're here, I was wondering if I could try and get a pact with the Sylph." Sheena said, "I was talking to Lloyd about it when we were looking for Raine, and he said he'd help me."

"Didn't you try and do that with Undine?" Anna asked, "How'd that go?"

"We needed another fighter." Sheena said, "Then with everything going on with Mystera, we forgot." Sheena said, biting her lip, "But, I figured since we were here…"

Kratos glanced around, "Yes, that's fine." He said, after confirming it with everyone.

Sheena smiled and stepped up to the altar. The Sylph, three pixie-like spirits, appeared.

"Hiya!" One of them, Fairess, chirped.

"I request a pact with the Sylph." Sheena spoke.

"Awwwww." Fairess frowned.

"We're already bound." Selphie said, "To one named Mithos."

Sheena nodded, "I figured as much." She turned to Raine for a moment, before turning back to the Sylph, "I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact with me."

Selphie nodded, "All done."

"So we get to make a new pact?!" Yutis grinned, "Yay!"

"Who will be fighting?" Selphie asked, looking around, "It doesn't seem that all of your members are capable at the moment."

"I'll stay back with Colette." Anna said, "I'm still a little shaky from the falling-off-the-roof thing." Anna said, helping Colette to the back of the room.

Selphie nodded, and a shimmering barrier appeared around the group.

"Get ready."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This chapter's for Kelly. –hug-

Also, she drew Anna. And it looks awesome. It's just not colored yet. I'll link to it as soon as it is, count on it.

Review pleeeeease. Maybe I'll even give a treat to a random reviewer! ^^


	20. Family

Yutis, wasting no time, immediately unleashed a furious barrage of arrows with a cry of "Go go go!" Sheena leapt out of the way and threw a pyre seal in the pixie's face. "Hey!" Yutis cried, going flying backwards and landing on the ground with a harsh thud. Sheena immediately turned to attack the other two pixies, only to have Yutis slam into her from behind and start hitting her on the head with her bow. "That was mean!"

"Ow!" Sheena exclaimed, trying to pull the spirit off of her, "Stop that!"

"No!" Yutis shouted, continuing.

"Sheena!" Lloyd shouted, "Duck!"

"Won't help! She's attached to me!" Sheena shouted back.

"No, DUCK!" Lloyd screamed.

Sheena dropped to the ground, just as a huge bird flew over her.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Anna exclaimed from the sidelines, "Is that part of the test?!"

Selphie and Fairess stopped attacking, and Selphie shook her head, "No… In fact, I have no idea what it is." Selphie frowned.

As quickly as it had appeared, the unknown creature was gone. The only two still fighting at this point, however, were Sheena and Yutis, who were pulling each other's hair.

Selphie sweatdropped. "I have an idea. If Sheena manages to knock Yutis off of her before Yutis is able to shoot another arrow, you win."

"Sounds good." Anna said, plopping back down onto the ground to wait, only to jump up again with a squeak and whack Lloyd on the nose with her katar after realizing she'd plopped onto the hilt of one of his discarded swords.

"Hey!" Lloyd said, grabbing his nose.

Colette giggled softly, and Raine tried to keep her still.

Sheena, meanwhile, continued to wrestle with Yutis, much to the chagrin of her sisters.

Kratos watched this with a bemused smirk, obviously imagining something that had happened in the past, probably having to do with a certain green haired angel.

XXXX

Speaking of this green haired angel, Martel was sitting in Kratos and Anna's living room with Yuan's cape in her lap. She had a needle and a bunch of bright pink thread with her, and was slowly stitching something into the cape to get back at the older man for effectively grounding her.

Yuan wouldn't discover it until after letting her go for the day- Martel had sewn what she called the Cruxis logo into his cape, along with the words 'YUAN IS A MEANIEFACE' in huge curlicue letters, all in bright pink. She had this same logo on the sides of her tunic, in green, but on her outfit it actually matched. On Yuan's, however…

XXXX

"Hiyaaaaah!" Sheena shouted as she finally launched Yutis off of her back, spiking her into the ground like she was a football and Sheena was a quarterback making the winning touchdown.

"Finally." Selphie sighed, "Summoner, state your vow." She floated over to the ninja, who was panting, trying to catch her breath from her single-handed match with Yutis.

Sheena took a deep breath, and spoke, "I vow to always protect those who depend on me."

Selphie smiled, "Accepted. Use our power well." The three spirits started to glow, Yutis glaring at Sheena all the while, and their power formed into a glowing sphere- a ring- which Sheena took and slipped onto her finger.

Lloyd grinned, "Good job, Sheena!"

"Heh, thanks." Sheena said, "Goddess, I'm exhausted."

"We're all tired. I suggest we make our way out of the Mausoleum and make camp." Kratos said, helping his wife up off the ground. (She'd found a safe place.) "Now that we've been through once, it should be easy enough to avoid the traps and make it back out."

Selphie, who had reappeared, luckily alone, spoke, "Oh, no need." She said, concentrating. A door slab of the roof slid down to reveal a ladder. "Just climb down there. In ancient times, when this mausoleum was maintained by the citizens of Balacruft, this was the passage they used to reach the roof without having to pass all of the traps set for grave robbers. Now it just sits there, so it might be rather dusty, but it should get you out a little quicker."

"Thank you, Selphie." Raine spoke. Kratos picked up Colette and took her into his arms, and they began to descend the ladder. I don't know how Kratos made it down with Colette in his arms, but he's awesome, so it's possible. You know it is.

XXXX

To their surprise, they had a visitor when they made it back out of the mausoleum. Martel was laying on a blanket on the ground, her head on Noishe. She was fast asleep.

Kratos sighed, and helped Colette into a sleeping bag so she could rest before covering Martel up as well. Anna sat down beside her friend and Noishe, stroking the arshis.

Sheena and Lloyd started a fire, as Raine asked questions about the pact and how to make one. Sheena answered them as well as she could, but Lloyd could tell she was words away from throwing a burning log from the flaming pile they were adding to into the scholar's face.

Raine eventually grew tired of the subject, meaning that Genis eventually forcibly dragged her away from the fire, and Sheena was able to relax, laying out backwards on the grass and looking up at the stars. Lloyd walked over to his parents, who were sitting by Martel's sleeping form.

"Why is she here, anyway?" he muttered.

Kratos, who had heard due to his enhanced hearing, shrugged, "Does she ever give a reason?"

Lloyd sighed, "Good point, I guess." He sat down next to his father and glanced at Colette, frowning.

Anna sensed his discomfort and laid a hand on her son's shoulder, "Don't think about it too much, Lloyd." She whispered. "There's still one more seal to go."

Lloyd pulled away from her and stood back up, "I have to get some air." He said, coldly, and walked away, Anna sighing.

XXXX

Lloyd walked away from the camp and to the edges of the Mausoleum grounds. He pulled himself up onto some rocks and sat down, sighing again.

He had a problem. He knew what Martel wanted to do- he'd been raised with it. He knew that Colette wasn't just going to die, but have her body STOLEN from her if she was compatible, and he didn't like it.

When he was younger, he'd tried to avoid getting too close to Colette for that reason. He knew that he couldn't stop the girl from getting killed, so he selfishly decided it would be easier on everyone if he wasn't too close to her so she wouldn't (and he wouldn't) feel any regrets at the tower.

He and his family had moved to the town when he was 5. He had been born in Luin, and they had spent four years on Derris Kharlan before Anna decided that she didn't want to raise her son on a different planet. So, Kratos found them a house in Iselia, so off they went.

Lloyd was fully aware of the Chosen ritual and what it entailed when he got there. He'd tried not to get close to her, but Colette was just so nice and sweet and all around adorable that he couldn't help it. She quickly became one of his closest friends, much to his mental chagrin. He was able to put the thought out of his mind for awhile, but when Colette's 16th birthday came, and with it the Oracle, all of that shattered.

She was dying. It was a slow process, and painful for her, but she was DYING.

And Lloyd couldn't stop it.

XXXX

"Where'd Lloyd go?" Sheena glanced around. Lloyd was one of the only people in the group that genuinely seemed to trust her at first, sans Colette, who trusted everyone and thought enemies were her friends. Because of this trust, the two of them had grown sort of close.

"He said he wanted to go for a walk." Anna answered. Sheena noticed she seemed slightly subdued- like she was tired or upset for some reason. She pushed those thoughts away and turned to look at the edges of the Mausoleum grounds.

It was faint and hard to see, but Sheena could see the outline of a body- most likely Lloyd's- on the rocks near the outskirts of the grounds. She stood up, brushing her leggings off, "Well, I'll go get him." She said, "It's almost time to eat."

Anna nodded, "Okay, thanks."

Sheena walked towards where Lloyd was. As she got closer, she noticed his fists were clenched, and he seemed really, truly upset and worried over something.

"Lloyd?" she called.

He jumped a little, before turning, "Oh, hey Sheena." He said, "What's up?"

"Dinner's almost done." Sheena said, "I just wanted to let you know- in case you were hungry. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Lloyd said, "Just tired and a little exhausted from all this fighting."

Sheena nodded, "Tell me about it. Thank you for helping me with the pact." She said, smiling at him, "It meant a lot."

Lloyd smiled back, before speaking, "You got your pact with Volt in Tethe'alla, right?"

Sheena's eyes widened, "You know about Tethe-"

Lloyd cut her off, "Well, my parents do, and they don't keep secrets from me." He shrugged.

Sheena relaxed, knowing she hadn't done anything to give herself away, "Yes, I was ten." She said, "My parents brought me to try a pact. My mother was able to translate what he was saying, and after the three of us fought him, we were able to get the pact." She giggled, "Though my father did the majority of the fighting."

Lloyd smiled, "That's nice of them. But you're from Mizuho, right?"

Sheena hesitated, "Well… sort of, I suppose." She said, "My parents are researchers. My father is the brother of the chief of Mizuho, but he left the village when he was a teenager." She explained, "I was allowed back there for training, and that's why I fight in this style, but I'm not actually FROM Mizuho- as I've never spent more than a week there at a time."

"I see…" Lloyd said, "So your parents must have been studying Summon Spirits, right?" he guessed.

Sheena smiled, "Yep. My mother's a summoner too- that's why she was able to train me. She has a pact with Shadow that she got when she was young, so she was the one who suggested I try the Volt pact. I probably wouldn't have been able to do it without her- she really helped a lot."

Lloyd smiled again, "That's really nice of her." He said, "And now when you get back, you have a pact with the Sylph, too!"

"Yep!" Sheena grinned, "Now, come on- it's dinner time."

Lloyd nodded, "Right."

XXXX

Martel woke up later that night- when only Kratos was awake, being night watch.

"Hello." He commented, turning to her.

Martel shuffled over, "Hi."

"What's wrong?" Kratos raised an eyebrow.

"Colette… knows about me." Martel said, softly- too softly for anyone, not even Colette, to overhear.

"About…" Kratos started, but Martel interrupted.

"That I'm your liason to Cruxis." She explained, "That I'm an angel."

"I see. So, that's why we didn't see you for a few days- Yuan grounded you." Kratos chuckled.

"Don't ground me too!" Martel frowned.

"Of course not." Kratos said, "Yuan took care of that."

"And I took care of him. Hmph." Martel crossed her arms, huffing.

Kratos didn't ask, not really wanting to know or have a reason to have to punish the girl. "So what brings you here? Just needed to tell me about Colette being aware?"

"Nah." Martel shrugged, "Derris Kharlan is so boring right now." She explained, "I popped back up there after Yuan ungrounded me, and Pronyma's been taking care of things just fine, so I've seriously got nothing to do."

Kratos held back a comment on why this might be.

"So, I decided to see if there was anything to do around here, but you guys were already in the seal. Guess I fell asleep while waiting." Martel shrugged.

"I'm sure Noishe enjoyed the company." Kratos said.

Martel smiled. "How'd the seal go?"

"Just fine." Kratos said, "Sheena got a pact with the Sylph."

"Since Mithos is dead…" Martel murmered.

"He only got the pacts so he could get Origin's pact, Martel." Kratos tried to assure the girl, "If you're able to awaken him, he won't mind that he's missing two pacts."

"Two?" Martel blinked.

"She also has a pact with Volt." Kratos answered.

"Gah! How do these things escape me so easily?!" Martel snapped, annoyed now.

Kratos sighed. "Perhaps because you haven't really been paying attention to the summon spirits?"

"They're not my pacts, Kratos." Martel shrugged, "The only one I have any say over is Origin, and that's only because my brother entrusted the Eternal Sword to me before he died." She said, "The others are just waiting for a new summoner to come around- but that wouldn't be a problem if we'd succeeded in reviving Mithos already…" Martel grumbled, "I really hope he isn't angry with me."

"Don't worry so much." Kratos assured the girl, "Mithos would never get angry with you over the pacts."

Martel smiled at him, "Hope so. Thanks, Kratos."

XXXX

Across camp, Colette glanced at the two with a worried expression on her face. She couldn't hear the conversation- not really- but she could pick up a few of the words that were said louder. Of course, piecing them together to make sense wasn't easy, and Colette didn't actually have a clue what they were talking about.

She shut her eyes, willing sleep to come, but of course nothing happened. She sighed very softly and shifted a little, hoping to find a position where she could think. If everyone was asleep, she could get up and just talk to Kratos and Mara, but she wasn't entirely sure of everyone's progress in that matter.

"Colette, they're all sleeping." Kratos called to her. Colette's eyes opened.

She smiled a little, happy that Kratos had been looking out for her, and crawled out of her sleeping bag. "Thank you, Mr. Kratos."

"No problem." Kratos said.

"Hi, Colette." Mara grinned at the girl. Colette smiled back, taking in the fact that Mara looked like she was actually genuinely happy to be around her. "Do you wanna go flying with me? I figured, since I'm an angel too and all, maybe you'd…"

She was cut off by Colette crying out, "Really?!"

Mara grinned, "Yep! Come on!" She stood up and spread her dark green wings, flying up into the air. Colette spread her own wings and followed, and the two flew away to do whatever it is angels do at midnight.

XXXX

"Where's Colette?" Raine asked early the next morning. Kratos glanced up from his gaze on the far horizon.

"She went to stretch her wings a little." Kratos said, "She'll be back soon." He deliberately left out that she went with Martel, and that she had been stretching her wings for over five hours now. He could see Colette and Martel on their way back, but Raine wouldn't be able to see them yet.

"Oh." Raine said.

"She didn't go far, and she should be coming back soon." Kratos said, "Have some breakfast- Anna made it."

Raine smiled and sat down to eat. "Where's Anna, then?" she asked.

"Washing up by the river." Kratos pointed over his shoulder, "Sheena's with her, and Lloyd and Genis are still sleeping."

Raine nodded, "I see." She said.

Kratos walked over to his son and his son's best friend, waking them both, "Up, you two- you need to eat and then we need to leave. We have to head towards Luin today."

Lloyd was a little slower to get up than Genis was, but eventually the two of them dragged themselves to the fire and were eating.

"Think we'll make it all the way there today?" Lloyd asked, swallowing a bite of food, "I haven't seen Luin in years."

"Most likely." Kratos said, "But only if we leave soon."

Colette landed on the ground- Martel wasn't with her, "Good morning!" she chirped.

"Hi, Colette." Lloyd smiled, "How was your night?"

"Very nice." Colette grinned.

"Did you eat yet, Colette?" Genis asked.

"She ate before the two of you awoke." Kratos lied for Colette, "Now hurry up and finish- Sheena and Anna are on their way back and they'll want to leave as soon as they get here."

Genis nodded, and he and Lloyd started to gulp down their food at a faster speed. Raine rolled her eyes.

About ten minutes later, they were all packed up and heading down the road towards Luin.

XXXX

Luin was a peaceful city, built right on top of a large lake. Islands housed the citizens, and they were connected by bridges. The three main islands were easy to tell apart from the others by the size- the others, while large, still only housed a few families on each.

Anna grinned and started running when the town came into view, having not seen her hometown in years. Her parents had died a long time ago, but she still had plenty of friends within the village, Cacao being one of them.

She turned back when she reached the main gate, only to see the rest of the ground lagging behind.

"Oh, come on!" she shouted, stomping her foot.

Kratos rolled his eyes, "Honestly, Anna, the town isn't going to go anywhere." He told his wife, putting an arm around her and kissing her on the forehead when he reached her, "Come, we can stay in Anna's parents' old house. It's still in Anna's possession, and the three of us lived there when Lloyd was young."

Colette smiled, "It'll be great to see your childhood home, Lloyd!"

Lloyd chuckled, "Yeah, I can't wait to see it either- it's been forever." He followed his father and mother down the streets of Luin, the rest of the group right behind them. Kratos lead them to a small house that was semi secluded from the rest of the town, though not by much at all, and unlocked the door, slipping it open.

"It shouldn't be too dusty- I stopped by last time I passed Luin and cleaned it up a bit." A lie, of course, as Kratos had sent one of the lesser angels to do this job for him, but either way.

"Lloyd and Genis can share Lloyd's old room- we replaced the crib, don't worry." Anna grinned, "Colette, Sheena, you can share the downstairs room, right?" Anna asked, "It's got two couches…"

"Sure." Sheena nodded, while Colette grinned.

"And Raine, there's a spare room upstairs that you're welcome to." Anna said, as everyone put their bags down in the living room, "Now, I wanna make sure Chocolat got back okay, and see Cacao again." Anna said. She would have raced out the door to do so if Kratos hadn't caught her.

"I'll come with you." He said.

"Yes, I'll come too." Raine spoke, "I'd like to meet this friend of your's."

"Okay!" Anna chirped, "Come on, then!"

She lead them out of the house. Lloyd turned to the remaining bunch, "Uh, wanna go see the town?" he asked, "I think I remember enough to not get us lost."

"Okay." Sheena nodded.

"Sounds good." Genis agreed, and Colette simply smiled.

"Alright, then." Lloyd led them out and shut and locked the door behind them, leading them into the heart of Luin.

XXXX

A brown haired woman in a blue robe opened the door to the house that the three adults were standing in front of. Her eyes widened when she saw who was standing on her doorstep.

"Anna? Goddess, it IS you!" Cacao gasped, hugging the girl. Anna happily hugged her back, "Yep!" she grinned, "Did Chocolat get home okay?"

"Yes, she came home a few days ago." Cacao said, "You were the ones who found her?"

Anna nodded, "Yep." She chirped, "This is my husband, Kratos, and Raine, a friend of ours."

"Yes, I know Kratos, nice to see you again." Cacao said, "But it's nice to meet you, Raine. My name is Cacao."

"Nice to meet you too." Raine smiled.

"Well, come in, come in." Cacao hurried them into the house.

XXXX

"So, there's been no word from my sister in months?" Anna asked, frowning.

"Unfortunately, no." Cacao said, "She left to try and find… something- she'd never tell us what- and we haven't heard from her. I promise if anyone hears anything, we'll let you know immediately."

"Thank you." Anna smiled a little. "Well, there goes the idea of sticking around here until the journey's done."

"You have a house here, Anna, why can't you and the boys stay there?" Raine asked, confused.

Anna winced, "I just… can't. It's a long story, but I can't stay in that house for more than a night or two."

Kratos put his arm around his wife, "It's a touchy subject. We'll find a new place for them to stay."

Raine nodded.

"Or, here's a thought- we could come along." Anna said. Kratos went to interrupt, but Anna stopped him, "Listen to me for a minute, Kratos. Lloyd and Genis have proved themselves invaluable on this journey, both keeping Colette happy and in battles. I'm enjoying spending time with you, and I really don't see the problem. It's clear that the two of them can handle it."

Kratos frowned.

Raine sighed, "As much as I hate to admit it, I do admit the boys are definitely showing maturity that I wasn't sure that they had now that they have this responsibility. I… agree." She frowned, "Though I don't like the fact that I do."

"I guess I'm overruled, then." Kratos said, "We'll tell them when we go back. And Sheena will be coming along, I suppose."

"Well, where are we supposed to do with her?" Anna raised an eyebrow, "She's lost and has no way of going home, plus the kids like her."

Cacao interrupted, "Did you say Sheena?" she asked, surprised.

Anna nodded, "Yes, she's a refugee girl we picked up at the Ossa Trail." She explained, "About 19 or so- black hair…"

"Her mother was just in town a couple of days ago, looking for her!" Cacao said, "She seemed incredibly worried."

"Her mother?" Anna's eyes widened, "Did she already leave town?"

"She was planning to leave today." Cacao said, "But that's all I know. She could have left already, or she could still be here. She was staying in the Inn."

"I'll go check." Raine stood up, "Enjoy the time with your friends, Anna, Kratos. I'll find Sheena if her mother is indeed at the Inn." Raine left the house, Anna thanking her on the way.

XXXX

"Sheena, tell us about your hometown!" Genis said, "You haven't really told us a lot about where you're from."

Sheena sent a frantic glance at Lloyd, who immediately covered, "She's from a hidden village." He said.

"She told you?" Genis asked, surprised.

"We had nothing else to talk about during the hour we spent looking for Raine in the Balacruft Mausoleum." Sheena said, "So, I told him a little about my past."

"Oh." Genis said, "So, what's this hidden village like?"

"It's a small village that's hidden in a forest. That's all I actually know about its location- it being hidden also means that I don't know how to get back." Sheena sweatdropped, "So, I'm hoping to run into someone I recognize as we travel."

"Oh, cool." Genis smiled.

Colette chimed in, "I'm sure you'll find your way home soon, Sheena!"

"Well, I'm enjoying being with your group, so I don't even know if I want to go home yet." Sheena admitted, "But that's not really a concern right now." She shrugged, "What's your home village like?" she asked the three kids.

"Iselia's in a forest too- or well, just outside of one!" Genis chirped, "It's a small little village, with a Cathedral, and a little schoolhouse."

"Yeah, it was a nice village." Lloyd smiled, "A river not too far, and Dirk, the dwarf lived just inside the Iselia Forest."

"It was so pretty!" Colette spoke up, "Especially during the fall- all the leaves changed colors and fell to the ground, and the weather was so nice!" she grinned.

Sheena smiled, "It sounds great."

Lloyd was about to speak up, when suddenly Raine's voice interrupted them, "Sheena?" she asked. The Tethe'allan turned. "Oh, good. You need to come with me."

"Is something wrong?" Sheena's eyes widened.

Raine shook her head, "No, no. Cacao informed us that your mother was in town a few days ago, looking for you. There's a chance she might still be here."

Sheena's eyes widened even further, "My mother?!" she asked, "Where was she?"

"The Inn." Raine said.

Sheena took off before Raine could say anything else.

"I'll go with her." Lloyd said, running to catch up, "Raine, take Colette and Genis back to my house." He called back, before increasing his speed.

Raine sighed, "Alright. Come on you two, back to the house."

XXXX

Sheena threw the door to the Inn open and ran up to the desk. The woman standing there smiled at her, "Hello, may I help you?"

"Is a woman named Amia staying here?" Sheena asked, trying to catch her breath.

"She was…" The woman frowned, "Amia just checked out about ten minutes ago. If you hurry, you may be able to catch her- she said she was going to stock up on supplies before leaving the town."

"Did she say anything about where she was headed?" Lloyd asked, having caught up.

The woman shook her head, "No, I'm sorry."

"That's alright, thanks." Lloyd said, "Come on, Sheena." The two of them ran from the Inn, and towards the items store, which wasn't too far, hoping that Amia was still there and hadn't left the village yet.

XXXX

The black haired woman smiled at the man behind the counter as she paid for her items and put them carefully into her bag, "Thank you." She said.

"I wish you the best luck in finding your daughter." The man said.

The woman thanked him again, and walked to the door. She began to walk down the street, and was almost halfway to the bridge, when a voice very familiar to her shouted out.

"MOM!"

Amia jumped, turning, "Sheena?"

She was slammed into by a purple blur, and hugged tightly.

"Oh, Sheena, thank goodness!" Amia hugged the girl just as tightly, "When you vanished into that machine… Your father and I were so worried!"

"I'm okay." Sheena said, "You came to Sylvarant to find me?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Of course I did, sweetie." Amia said, "You're my only daughter- I'm not just going to leave you stranded in an unfamiliar world all by yourself."

Sheena hugged her mother again.

Lloyd caught up, having lost Sheena again as soon as the ninja had seen her mother. "Hello, Mrs. Fujibayashi." He said, catching his breath.

"Hello…" Amia said, "You are?"

"Mom, this is Lloyd Aurion- he and his family have been taking care of me the past few weeks." She explained, "He's part of the Chosen's traveling group."

"The Chosen…" Amia said, softly, "I see. So, you've been accompanying them on the journey of regeneration?"

"Yep." Sheena smiled, "Colette's really nice, and so is Genis. His sister Raine's also really nice, though a little strict, and Lloyd's parents are awesome. They've been taking really good care of me."

"I'm glad." Amia said, "Well, I need to thank them before I take you home-"

Sheena cut her mother off, "Uh… about that…"

"Yes?" Amia asked her daughter.

"I… don't really want to go home yet." Sheena said, "I mean, I'm so glad that I got to see you, and that you know I'm safe, but I really want to finish what I started- the regeneration journey."

Amia frowned, "But, Sheena…"

"We only have one seal left to go, and Colette might need me there!" Sheena said, "I'm the only girl in the group that's close to her age- Raine and Anna are both older."

Amia sighed, "There's no convincing you once you've made up your mind." She said, "Alright. I'll speak to the group on your behalf and see if they'll let you come along."

Sheena grinned, "Mom, thanks!"

"But you have to come home right after, you hear? We'll give you the object you need to activate the device to get home- just make sure no one's around or they'll be pulled through too." Amia warned.

"Got it!" Sheena chirped.

Amia smiled, "I'm so glad you're safe."

Sheena smiled back, "Thanks Mom."

"Sheena, you should tell her about the Sylph."

Amia raised an eyebrow, "The Sylph?"

The mother and daughter team began to chat about Sheena's new pact as Lloyd looked on, smiling, happy that Sheena had found her mother and knew how she was going to get home in the end. It distracted him, if only for a minute, from what was to come- the tower and Colette's imminent death- and made him feel better, if only for a little while.

But only for a little while.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, there you have it. The longest chapter ever for this story, all because I promised Kelly. That, and it's chapter 20, which is something to celebrate. Also, this story just passed my longest story in number of hits and reviews. Not too surprising, considering how much attention I've been giving it lately. Eh, well. Beggars can't be choosers, and I'm glad this story's starting to get popular.

That being said, I had an idea. In Secrets, I ran a contest that no one entered on the 20th chapter. I'm going to do the same thing here- with the same secret prize. I want you to guess the first character I changed to create this story. Before anyone says Martel, I mean after her. It's obvious I switched Martel and Mithos first, so what character do you think I thought of next?

So, everyone, get your guesses ready! I'll take the people who get it right, and if needed, draw a name out of a hat. If only one person gets it right, then obviously, that person gets the prize.

And yes, I know what the prize is. I'm not THAT bad.

And now, for a little bit of information for you before I go.

In honor of this being the 20th chapter, and because I'm bored, I've decided to tell everyone how many death scenarios I have for the main characters. The ending of this fic is not decided yet, besides a few key things, none of which I can mention, but this is the sheer number I have to choose from:

Colette-12

Kratos-6

Martel-10

Anna-16

Yuan-2

Lloyd-11

Genis-9

Raine-10

Regal-3

Sheena-0

Presea-0

Zelos-26

Everyone-2

And yes, those last 2 there involve the world blowing up.

Review to possibly save your favorite character? (And to enter the contest?)


	21. Farm

BEFORE I START THIS CHAPTER I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT THE NUMBER OF POSSIBLE DEATHS ON THE LIST LAST CHAPTER IS NOT PROPORTIONAL TO THE LIKELYHOOD OF SAID CHARACTER DYING.

Also, why do people want me to kill Zelos? He hasn't even been in the story yet, and I'm pretty sure everyone's figured out I like to twist things. I ask that you hold off your opinions on characters that you haven't even seen my versions of.

Yes, I'm implying a difference in Zelos. How different, however, I will not say.

Anyway, I hate these before-chapter notes, so let's just get to it. The rest is at the bottom.

Oh, it seems like I cut Luin rather short, I know, but they're coming back there, I promise. I decided not to spend four chapters in the city this time- Palmacosta seemed to drag onnnnn and onnnnnnn. (I did not count the number of chapters in Palmacosta. It was a guess. Do not sue me if said guess was wrong. Yes, it is two in the morning, why are you asking?)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The group had set off from Luin a little under six hours ago, and were currently looking for a good place to set up camp, as the majority of the group was tired. Except Kratos, of course.

The area between Luin and Hima consisted of a single forest, which they'd already passed through with no problems, and the rest was fields of what most travelers referred to as "The Dead Zone." So, for the group to come across a building, or rather a group of them, arranged in a particular fashion, was rather surprising.

"What on Sylvarant…" Lloyd murmured.

"What is it?" Sheena blinked.

Colette stared, speechless.

"I think it's a farm." Genis spoke.

"It would seem so." Kratos nodded.

"A farm…? For WHAT?" Anna blinked, "What kind of animals could you possibly raise on a farm here?"

"Katz?" Sheena asked, jokingly.

Anna laughed.

"Come- we HAVE to check it out!" Raine raced towards the farm in the distance, the group grumbling and quickly chasing after her.

XXXX

It didn't take long after they arrived at the farm for them to find the owner. A male looking maybe 22, he had short brown hair, and the clothes of a farm owner- despite the fact that farms weren't very common in Sylvarant, obvious by the group's reactions to finding one.

He looked over, "Hello." He said, "Rare to find travelers here."

Anna shrugged.

"Not that you aren't welcome, of course." He corrected himself, "I'm Max- I run things around here. You are…?"

"My name's Anna Aurion, and this is my husband, Kratos, and our son, Lloyd. Over there is Raine and Genis Sage, Colette Brunel, the Chosen, and Sheena Fujibayashi, the one who was practically flung into our group due to bad footing."

Sheena flushed.

"Tripped?" Max guessed.

"Uhh, well, fell, actually." Sheena flushed even deeper.

Max chuckled, "Totally get it. So, you're the Chosen's group, then." He looked over at Colette, "That explains a few things. If you're interested, I have a couple extra rooms. You're welcome to stay here for a couple of nights to rest."

"Are there beds in these rooms?" Anna asked, suddenly up in his face.

"Of course." Max smiled.

"I LOVE YOU!" Anna zoomed into the house. Kratos sighed and rolled his eyes as Max laughed.

"Come on in, I'll show you where you can put your stuff and I'll get started on dinner." Max said, leading the group inside.

XXXX

After dinner, Max was cleaning up in the kitchen when Sheena walked in. She had nothing to do, so she was exploring to try and find something.

"Hello." Max smiled at her.

"Hi." Sheena smiled back, "Do you need any help?"

"I'm about done, thanks." Max said.

"Okay." Sheena said, shifting.

A moment later, Max spoke up again, "You look like you want to ask something." He said.

Sheena glanced up, surprised, "Uh, yeah." She said.

Max smiled, urging her on and turning back to his work.

"Well… What exactly do you HAVE on this farm?"

Max looked back over at the black haired girl as he finished up what he was doing and wiped his hands, "Come on, I'll show you."

Sheena blinked, but followed the man out of the building and to a barn. As Max opened the door, Sheena found herself face to face with about ten colorful creatures.

"Whoah…" her eyes widened.

"It's not really a farm." Max said, "My family jokingly calls it a hotel."

"For protozoans?!" Sheena asked, "You probably shouldn't let Raine in here." She smiled at him.

Max chuckled, "Yeah, I figured that. Come on, do you want to meet them?"

Sheena's eyes widened even further- besides Noishe, the only protozoan she'd met was a fake. "Of course!"

Max smiled at her and led her into the barn.

XXXX

"Where's Sheena?" Lloyd asked, looking up from his carving. He'd found out that Max had some spare wood lying around that was perfect to carve with, so he'd taken his knife out and was working on something. What that something was, no one except him knew yet.

"I think she and Max went off somewhere." Genis said, marking his place in the book he was reading. "Noishe seems rather antsy about something."

Lloyd glanced over at the arshis and sighed, "I'd better take him outside for a bit." He put the knife and carving down and stood up, "Come on, Noishe." He said, opening the door and watching the protozoan fly out, arshis speed, and towards the barn, "Noishe!" he shouted, chasing him, sighing.

XXXX

Sheena smiled as she pet an aeros that Max called Cherry. There was no way of knowing whether or not that was the protozoan's real name, as the protozoans couldn't talk to humans. (Except for Aquan bonding, Max said, which Sheena was quick to tell him was a myth.) Cherry was white with red markings, though, so the name made sense.

Cherry made a noise that sounded something like a squeak and a whine combined. "She looks happy." Max commented.

Sheena glanced at the farm-owner, "Really?"

"Yeah. Cherry tends to stay here longer than any of the others. Four generations of my family have known her- and she seems to like it here." Max shrugged, "They all come and go as they please, though Cherry and Anise over there stay here the most."

"Anise?" Sheena asked, "You didn't show me that one…"

"I was saving her for last." Max smiled. "Come on, I'll show you now." He said.

Sheena nodded, and followed Max to where she assumed Anise was, and saw something absolutely spectacular.

A fenrilra.

Giant and horselike, Anise looked at her with a gaze that told Sheena that the protozoan had seen more than her share of people and events in the past. She was white and beige, and had large ears on the side of her head and giant wings sprouting from her back. Her face was different than a horse's, though, with a pair of human like eyes and a beak. To top it all off, Anise had human hair!

Max pulled the wig off of the fenrilra's head, "Sorry, my sister must have gotten in here again." He said, throwing it away.

Okay, no human hair. But still. Sheena was amazed.

"She's beautiful…" Sheena said, eyes wide.

"She doesn't bite." Max pushed Sheena forward, "Go ahead."

Sheena walked over to Anise, holding out a hand cautiously before patting her on the head. Anise closed her eyes and seemed to smile- or at least radiate a feeling that she was smiling. Sheena gasped.

"She-"

"Fenrilra are known for one thing in specific- they can send their feelings off to those who are near them." Max smiled, "Pretty amazing, isn't it?"

"Definitely…" Sheena said.

Sheena was snapped out of her awe by a crash. Max and the ninja both looked around to see what or who had fell, only to see Noishe zoom in and Lloyd chase after him.

Sheena blinked.

"I'm guessing he hasn't seen another protozoan in awhile." Max said, chuckling.

"Not a real one, anyway." Sheena said.

Max questioned her, but Sheena shook her head, "It's a long story."

"I've got time." Max smiled.

Sheena paused, but nodded, "Okay."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Phew. That farm thing? Totally Kelly's fault. She happens to live on a farm, and she was complaining about having to do hay, when I asked exactly what that entailed.

And this was born. In my head, anyway. I didn't tell her 'til later.

SEE WHY I CONSIDER YOU A CO-AUTHOR HERE? EVEN IF YOU JUST DRAW AND UNKNOWINGLY GIVE ME IDEAS???

Speaking of. I forgot to link to Anna last chapter! –legasp- I feel really bad, so I'll just link to her four times here to make up for it!

http : // ravenwolf-zero . deviantart . com / art / Anna-126793017

http : // ravenwolf-zero . deviantart . com / art / Anna-126793017

http : // ravenwolf-zero . deviantart . com / art / Anna-126793017

http : // ravenwolf-zero . deviantart . com / art / Anna-126793017

She looks amazing, go check it out. Don't forget to remove the spaces! (And can someone please tell me if I forget to replace those with links? I'm such an idiot, and I know I will.)

And yes, that is what Anna looks like in my head. At least now. Before it was all a vague sort of picture. Now it's ALL clear. At least where Anna is concerned.

Kelly's working on another picture, but I can't say anything about that now- all spoilers for some post-Tower stuff. Kelly barely even knows what's going on; she just knows enough to draw the picture. Or, well, color it now. Whatever.

I'm also going to eventually post a picture of Anise. Probably not Cherry, though, I have enough trouble with wings on people and horses, I can't draw them on birds. Eh, hell, I might even post a picture of our favorite little traitor, Mystera, to show what Aquans look like in here. Despite not really being one, she had the form right.

Anise and Cherry are not going to play any influential part in this story. I just felt bad for introducing Mystera and then killing her. So, here is my way of apologizing- two new cute protozoans. Except, as said, these two have no influential part.

I'm keeping the contest open for a couple more weeks if anyone else wants to enter. Details are in the last chapter.

LET'S SEE HOW MANY CHAPTERS I CAN GET DONE BEFORE I HAVE AN INTERNET CONNECTION.

Review please. If I get five, I'll post within a week. That's my new rule. But only until school starts. I'm going into my first year of college, I can't guarantee anything after that starts. –sweatdrop- But I'll update the policy then- still got a good month and a half until that point.

Of course, if I don't get five, I'm not going to not post the chapter for a month or anything. I just won't make an effort to have it happen quicker. ^^

…Unless someone bribes me. We've seen how well that works. –sweatdrop-


	22. Mountain

Sorry, this is late. :( I forgot to count my reviews –idiot- and I felt obligated to post Secrets. The A Trip to the Past chapter's been written for months, so I felt I should post that too. I apologize profusely, and will get the next chapter out in a week no matter what as an apology.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"Still no."

"Are we there yet, Kratosssss?"

"Anna, I will tell you when we're there."

"But I'm so boooored!"

"Count the trees."

"But that's boring."

"Is it less boring than just walking?"

"No."

"Then just walk."

…

"Are we there yet?"

Kratos resisted the urge to strangle his wife as Raine spoke up, "Maybe we should stop for a bit. The children look to be getting tired, and I'm pretty sure everyone could use some rest."

Kratos glanced back at the kids, who had been reluctant to leave the farm in the first place, but now looked like they were literally just dragging themselves along, "Alright, I suppose we could stop for a little while."

Lloyd grinned, "Thanks, Dad." He said, before plopping down onto the grass. Since the farm, the area between Hima and Luin had lived up to its name, with literally nothing around. Just plains. And more plains. And occasionally another plain. But only sometimes.

Dead Zone indeed.

However, they were starting to be able to see some mountains on the horizon, which meant they were getting closer to Hima, which was a good sign, considering how impatient Anna was being.

Genis laid back on the grass and sighed, "My legs hurt."

"We have been doing a lot of walking…" Colette frowned. At the wind seal she may have lost her ability to feel, but she could sympathize- at the beginning of the journey her legs had been much weaker. Since Genis was younger, he was facing the same problem.

Though, by the look of Lloyd, he wasn't too much better off.

They rested for about a half hour before continuing on their way, getting to a more rocky area by nightfall. They settled down, managed to somehow make a campfire, and were sitting around when Raine spoke up.

"So who's making dinner?" she asked, "If no one wants to, I will."

"I'll cook!" Genis immediately shouted, "What do we have for ingredients?" he asked Kratos, walking over.

He frowned a little while later, "I don't know any recipes with these…"

"LEmme see." Anna glanced in, "Hmm, me either."

Raine was about to perk up when suddenly she was interrupted, but this time not by a person.

POOF.

The entire group, minus of course Kratos, who always keeps his cool, jumped backwards in surprise as a giant poof of smoke appeared out of nowhere. When it cleared, which was surprisingly rather quickly, a man in a green and red outfit with a white chef's hat and holding a GIANT FORK was revealed, with a huge grin on his face.

"Hello there." He grinned at them.

Anna relaxed quite a bit once she saw him, "Hey, WC." She smiled.

"Ah, Anna!" He walked- well, it looked more like hopping- over to her and shook her han, "It's great to see you again."

"Who… are you?" Raine paled.

"I am the Wonder Chef!" He exclaimed, "I'm here to teach you how to cook… er… hamburgers!"

"You made that up off the top of your head." Anna said.

"Yep!" the Wonder Chef grinned, "Well, how about it?"

"Sure, teach me." Anna hopped up, "Genis, you like cooking, right? Wanna come?"

Genis jumped up, "Sure!"

The two walked towards the campfire with the Wonder Chef, while the rest of the group simply exchanged a glance.

XXXX

"Oh, finally…" Lloyd groaned as they finally made it to the mountain village of Hima. Not only had they been walking for days, but the mountain they had to climb to actually make it to the city was EXHAUSTING. "Let's just find an inn so I can collapse…"

Kratos nodded, "This way, then." He lead them into the little hamlet. The 'mountain village' barely qualified as more than a rest area. It consisted of about three houses and an inn, and was basically a place for travelers to stay when they were passing from Luin to the Tower of Mana, or if they were on a pilgrimage. It also had an amazing view of the Tower of Salvation.

The rooms in the inn were quickly paid for, and Genis, Lloyd, and Sheena literally collapsed into theirs. Raine and Anna were tired as well, so they both went to sleep shortly after arriving. Kratos looked at Colette, "Would you like to help me get supplies?"

Colette smiled, "Sure, thank you Mr. Kratos."

XXXX

Late that night, long after dark, Colette stood at the top of the mountain, gazing at the view of the Tower of Salvation in the distance. She took a deep shaky breath and let it out, noticing that her hands were trembling.

"Colette?"

Colette turned, surprised, to see Sheena standing behind her, "Oh, hello Sheena." She smiled that fake smile that everyone that had known her at least a month knew was a complete hoax.

Sheena frowned, "Are you alright?"

Colette turned back to the Tower, "I'm fine." She smiled, "Just thinking about what's to come."

"The tower?" Sheena guessed, "I'm sorry, I don't know much about the Chosen's journey…"

"That's okay." Colette smiled, "It's been great having you along on the journey, and I'm really glad you decided to stay when your mom came and found you."

Sheena smiled back, "Yeah, well, I've grown attached to you guys, I guess. And this was really my first chance to travel around. I've been enjoying it."

"I'm glad." Colette chirped.

"But you're not." Sheena turned to her, "Something's wrong- I know you're upset about something."

"I'm fine." Colette insisted, "Don't worry about me."

"Colette-"

Colette interrupted Sheena, "I'm fine, Sheena. Please."

Sheena sighed, "Colette… fine… I can tell you don't want to talk about it, but I wish you'd trust me with your problems… I mean, I thought we were becoming friends…"

"Sheena, we ARE friends!" Colette protested.

"Then why aren't you trusting me?!"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Colette finally snapped.

Sheena's eyes widened, not expecting Colette to yell at her, "S-sorry." She said, turning away.

"Oh, no, Sheena, I'm sorry!" Colette said, "I shouldn't have yelled."

Sheena rolled her eyes, "I shouldn't have pushed you that far."

"Then I guess we're both at fault." Colette chuckled.

Sheena smiled, "I guess so."

"Friends?" Colette asked.

"Yeah. Friends." Sheena smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Did that seem fillerish? Because that conversation at the end with Sheena and Colette is going to be important later. Promise.

Anyway. Contest is still on. I'll be announcing the winner on THURSDAY during something I've decided to try.

A live broadcast where we can all chat! I've got a JustinTV account now, and I can set it up so you guys can hear my voice and see my desktop, so I'm gonna talk to you all and you can ask questions about ANYTHING and we can just have overall awesome fun because you are all awesome and I'm not. But I'll try not to be too big a damper on the awesome.

So, it's Thursday night at 9 PM Eastern time. If you need me to convert that to your time zone, let me know in a review. I'd really like you all to show up, since I'd really feel like a loser if no one was there. –sweatdrop- The link to my account is in my profile, down at the bottom, and if for any reason I have to cancel or postpone it, the info will be there and on my JTV site.

-deep breath- Anyway. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Next one within a week, promise! Kelly will make sure I remember! Also, Kelly will be at the chat, so you can ask her questions too! –has not cleared the asking of questions with Kelly, but is willing to accept whatever consequences are to come-

Next chapter, the LAST SEAL BEFORE THE TOWER. OMG.


	23. Mana

They stayed in Hima for two days to rest. On the third morning, they set off towards the Light Seal. It took the majority of the day for them to walk there, and once they made it, they set up camp outside.

After resting for that night, they came face to face with a dilemma as they went to open the door to the Tower of Mana.

"The door won't open!" Lloyd shouted as he yanked at the doorknob rather dorkily.

Raine frowned, grabbing one of Lloyd's ribbons and yanking him backwards before walking to the door, "Yes, it would seem it's locked."

Anna pumped a fist in the air, "Break it down!"

"Now that would hardly be polite!" Raine protested.

"But it's interfering with the releasing of the seal. I'm sure no one would care." Anna winked, grinning.

Kratos ignored his wife and walked over to the door. He pressed a button on the side, and the door immediately unlocked and flew open. Everyone stared at him.

"It says unlock on it." Kratos said, before walking through the door.

"Well, at least it's open now." Genis said, hurrying after him. The rest of the group headed through the door and into the wide open room that housed all the books the Tower of Mana had to offer. Upon seeing them, Raine began practically hyperventilating and took off to examine all the shelves. The others barely so much as blinked, leaving her to her business.

"Whoah, what's this?" Sheena asked as they walked towards a mechanism in the middle of the room.

"Looks like magitechnology." Genis spoke.

"Looks CONFUSING." Lloyd corrected.

"Sheena, stand on that panel next to you." Kratos said, ignoring his son and Genis.

"Huh? Oh, okay." Sheena stepped onto the panel.

"Anna?" Kratos asked his wife, who hopped onto the second one. Kratos stepped onto the third and there was a rumbling and the whirr of a mechanism before a door opened on the side of the room.

"Cool!" Colette grinned, "Guess there's no oracle stone for this one."

"Seems that way." Kratos nodded.

"Well, let's get going, then!" Sheena said, stepping off her platform, but the door slammed shut.

"Looks like three of us will have to stay here." Anna frowned, "Kratos, you need to be with Colette."

"I'm going with Colette too!" Lloyd and Genis shouted in unison.

"I guess we have our groups, then. RAINE, GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE- YOU'RE HOLDING UP THE WORLD REGENERATION!" Anna shouted.

The professor walked over, grumbling, and stood on the panel Kratos had abandoned. With Sheena on one and Anna on the other, the door opened again.

"Come on." Kratos lead the Chosen, his son, and Genis, who had no title, towards the door.

"Be caaaaaarefulllll!" Anna called after them as they disappeared down the corridor.

XXXX

"HERE COMES SPEED RACERRRRR!"

"…What the hell, Martel?" Yuan stared at the girl, who was zooming around wearing his cape- yes the same cape she'd ruined the other day with her embrodiery. He'd let her have it when she came running into Kratos and Anna's house bouncing up and down on what seemed a sugar high. Now she was racing around their backyard.

"HE'S A DEMON ON WHEEEEELS!"

Yuan sighed, letting his head drop into his hands. Just as Martel was about to perk in with the next line of the song, he raised his voice, "Martel, shut up!"

Martel huffed, crossing her arms, "I don't know the next line of the song anyway." She said.

"Good." Yuan rolled his eyes, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in. Martel skipped over and took the other chair, gathering Yuan's cape around her as she sat. It was getting dark out and a little colder. She shivered.

"We should go inside." Yuan said, "You look cold."

Martel shook her head, "I'm fine, I promise." She smiled at him, pulling her legs up and resting her chin on top of them, "Yuan, I'm not doing anything wrong, am I?"

Yuan glanced at her, "What do you mean?"

"Trying to ressurect Mithos." Martel explained, "I'm doing the right thing, right?"

Yuan frowned, not quite sure how to answer this question. He'd thought about it a lot, years ago, and decided that despite the fact that she was killing people to achieve it, he would support her. It was a little weakness of his- he'd pretty much give Martel anything she asked, which was also why he could never stay mad at her. Kratos was the same way, though a little sterner with her, and he'd come to the same conclusion- they'd support her until she either achieved her goal or gave up completely.

"Yuan?" Martel prodded him.

Yuan glanced at her, "You're doing what you think is right." He finally answered, "That's all that matters."

Martel smiled at him, wrapping his coat closer around her, "Thanks…"

XXXX

Lloyd, Kratos, Genis, and Colette walked carefully up the round flight of stairs, which seemed to go on forever and ever and ever into oblivion, until they suddenly came to a gap. It was too wide to jump- definitely too wide to jump, and there was nothing they could hold onto to swing across.

"Where are the rest of the stairs?" Lloyd frowned, putting his hands on his hips.

"Well, not there." Genis shrugged. Lloyd glared at him.

"Colette, can you fly to the other side?" Kratos asked the Chosen, who nodded.

"Yes of course!" she exclaimed and pulled her wings out. She took off into the air and flew across. Upon landing, she spoke again, "Hey, there's a door here! I'll go check it out!" Before anyone could protest, she was through the door.

A couple of agonizing minutes later, there was the sound of crumbling and shifting, and the stairs pulled out of the wall to the side. Kratos, Lloyd, and Genis raced up them to check on Colette. They hurried through the door to find her standing there, smiling, "Found a button- figured it might work." She grinned.

"Don't run off like that, dork!" Lloyd shouted, "You could've gotten hurt!"

"Sorry…" Colette frowned.

Lloyd sighed, "Colette, geez…"

"Now that we know she's alright, let's just continue." Kratos said, walking to the door on the other side of the room, the rest of his group following.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KELLYYYYYY. THIS IS FOR YOU. PART TWO OF YOUR EPIC BIRTHDAY SURPRISE, AND WAS ALMOST RUINED BY WILLIAM DYING, AGAIN.

That, by the way, is the reason for the delay on all of my stories. Updates will come, promise!

Reviewwww?

Also, guys, check out the story I posted just a couple weeks ago- The Kelly Insert. It's a companion to this one, and I'm trying to decide whether to continue it or not. I'd like your feedback. ^^


	24. Betrayal

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

"Anna, it's just a rabbit!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

"Anna!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

"It's GONE already!"

"Oh." Anna skipped over to the other two girls, standing on the platforms. Since she'd abandoned her post to go running away from bloodthirsty rabbits, the door had slammed shut. Anna sat down on her platform and the door grumbled open again. A moment later, she sighed, "I'm bored."

"We all are." Sheena answered. "Except Raine." Raine was reading. She was smart and had brought a book from the shelf back with her.

Anna sighed again.

Suddenly, an image of Lloyd appeared in the middle of the three platforms. Raine dropped her book in surprise.

"Lloyd?" Anna asked, surprised.

"Mom!" Lloyd shouted, just as surprised, "Dad- it's mom."

"Yes, I see that, Lloyd." Kratos's voice replied, though Anna couldn't see him. A moment later, Kratos's image replaced Lloyd's and he spoke, "We've reached a platform and we can't get past it. I believe your group must work your way through a section now."

Anna looked around, and sure enough, another door opened, "Alrighty. See you soon!" she said, blowing a kiss to her husband and hopping off the platform. Kratos's image vanished, but not until after he gazed at his wife lovingly with a small smile. Raine and Sheena followed Anna, Raine putting the book she'd stolen into the bag she was holding. Shh, don't tell anyone.

The trio of females headed through the doorway and into a long room with light streaming in the windows. "Hey, this is really pretty," Anna grinned, skipping forward, only to suddenly stop to catch herself as she avoided falling in a huge hole in the ground. It looked like someone had taken a cannon and obliterated the ground, just in a perfect circle.

Raine and Sheena came up behind her as Anna backed up so that she wouldn't fall down the hole, "So weird…" she murmered. Raine looked the hole over carefully as Sheena frowned.

"It almost looks like this room is some kind of atrium." Raine spoke, "But this hole…" she trailed off, looking around, then finally up at the roof, which was made of glass and had light streaming in. There was no hole in the ceiling, which suggested that whatever had made this hole had done so from inside.

"I'm gonna climb down." Sheena said suddenly.

Raine and Anna turned to her, motherly-horror on Anna's face, and an are-you-insane? look on Raine's.

"No, you're not." Anna grabbed Sheena's arm and dragged her away from the hole, "That's completely and totally insane.

"Can you trust me for a minute?" Sheena asked, "I promise I won't be hurt- I can do it." She reached into her bag and pulled out a rope with a hook of sorts on the end- a grapple. She walked over to the hole, securing the hook into the ground by stepping on it, and looked at the two of them, "That should be secure. If it falls, I'll use one of my guardians," she pulled a card out, "To come back up here."

Anna still looked horrified, but didn't stop her this time. Sheena lowered herself into the hole and slowly made her way down, much to the chagrin of the two helpless women standing there waiting. As she disappeared into the darkness, the two women exchanged a worried glance.

XXXX

Sheena climbed carefully until her feet hit something solid below her. Carefully stepping onto it, she let go of her grappling rope and called up to Anna and Raine, though she wouldn't have been surprised if her shout was swallowed by the pure darkness around her. Sheena didn't have the faintest idea of where she was going- she was simply stepping carefully with one foot so that she wouldn't stumble.

Finally she grew annoyed and summoned her energy to call on Volt. While he was no Luna, Volt's lightning could at least create enough light for the summoner to see where she was going- hopefully. The ball of lightning appeared, and Sheena was able to faintly make out a pathway in front of her, leading into a cave in the side of the hole. She looked up, but she wasn't able to see the top of the hole, even with Volt's light.

"Thanks." Sheena told him, before asking if he would follow her as she walked down the path. The summon spirit gave a grunt of agreement and Sheena began to carefully walk.

She made it down the pathway and into the cave, relaxing only slightly once she was there. While the cave was no doubt safer- the walkway was more secure and there was less chance of falling to her death- it was also smaller, which meant that Sheena was struggling to make it through. In the end, Volt ended up having to zap some rocks out of the way to make a path large enough for Sheena to fit through. Eventually, however, the cave seemed to widen, and it got lighter. Sheena kept Volt with her- just in case, and hurried down the pathway and out the small opening into the light.

Sure, it was light out here, but where WAS she? She wasn't outside, that was sure. The pathway had widened to what looked like underground ruins, lit by lanterns on the side. She ran down the path, finally making it to steps at the end. Desperate, she ran up them, finally making it ABOVE ground to see Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Kratos across the way from her.

"Guys!" she shouted to them. They turned and Lloyd grinned.

"Sheena! Hey!" Lloyd shouted.

"How did you get here?" Kratos raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Underground tunnels." Sheena answered, obviously confused herself. She pointed to the stairs behind her, "But I don't think Anna and Raine will want to go through them- it's not exactly safe. So, I'm gonna explore a bit in here." She hurried up the stairs next to her and through a door before any of the boys could protest.

XXXX

"You think she's okay?" Raine asked, worriedly. Anna frowned, but nodded.

"I think so. We haven't heard screaming or anything." She looked down the hole again. Suddenly, on the other side of the atrium, a pair of doors that Raine and Anna had already confirmed were locked swung right open and Sheena ran in, grinning. Raine and Anna bolted over to her, and they shared a reunion that Sheena hadn't expected from the two women she hadn't known that long.

XXXX

It didn't take them long to all meet up on the platform containing the teleporter to the final seal beast. Lloyd hesistated, remembering what the releasing of the seal would take from Colette this time, but had no choice but to head through the portal with the rest of his family. The roof of the Tower of Mana was bright, probably due to Luna's influence.

Lloyd couldn't help but look around- the view from the roof of the tower was really nice, he had to admit. It almost let him forget about what was about to happen to Colette. The group approached the altar, and in a burst of light, a woman sitting on a moon sliver appeared. Sheena's eyes widened.

"Luna!" she shouted, having studied the spirit with her parents.

"_Where is Aska?"_

The group paused, not really sure what was going on.

"_I need Aska… Find Aska…" _

The spirit fazed out of existence, or at least that was what it seemed like, and a unicorn-like seal beast took its place, charging the group before they could even recover from seeing Luna.

So, it goes without saying that Anna cursed and began to chase the thing around the roof, successfully distracting it enough for the rest of the group to send attacks, spells, and techs at it until it fell. Colette stepped up to the altar and prayed, her wings appearing as she floated up.

Remiel descended and ignored a very mean look from Lloyd as he granted Colette the last of her angel powers before the Tower. "Now, Chosen, finish your journey by traveling to the center of the world- The Tower of Salvation!" With that, Remiel disappeared with a dramatic flourish that even Anna had to applaud.

XXXX

Once outside, the group set down to camp, knowing Colette would be collapsing soon enough. Sure enough, she suddenly started to hyperventilate, and Lloyd was at her side faster than even Anna.

"Are you okay?" Lloyd asked, softly, and Colette simply nodded, laying down. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to keep a lack of voice from the rest of the group, but she'd do it.

"Everyone should get some sleep." Kratos said, "Colette will be fine by morning."

The group all voiced their agreements, except Genis, who shook his head and walked over to Colette. "Colette?"

Colette turned to him.

"Why aren't you talking…?" Genis finally asked, making Sheena look up surprised- she hadn't even noticed, but come to think of it, she WASN'T, was she?

Colette shook her head, trying to think of an excuse, but even if she could talk, she couldn't think of one. Lloyd tried to cover for her as well, but failed miserably, making Genis glare at him.

"You mean you KNEW about this and you didn't tell us?!" Genis asked, "How long has she been losing things?! I saw her stop eating, but I figured it was a loss of appetite. She's always awake before any of us- has she even been sleeping?! What about when she fell before- did she even feel it?!"

Genis sure was a smart kid, Anna had to admit. Sheena's eyes widened at every revelation.

Lloyd frowned, looking at the ground, "Genis…"

"No!" Genis shouted.

"Then what's she going to lose at the last seal?!" Sheena suddenly shouted, feeling just as betrayed by the group that hadn't told her as Genis was. No one wanted to answer this question, so they all naturally diverted their eyes.

"Tell us!" Genis shouted.

Raine finally took a deep breath, "When we reach the Tower of Salvation… Colette will lose herself."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Er… So, I've had that last scene planned for months. Tower of Mana's completely different, you may have noticed.

Also, I never announced that contest winner. That's because no one from Fated came to the live broadcast. Also, last chapter I was preoccupied by Kelly's birthday and now I'm preoccupied by college.

So, here's the deal, guys. Someone DID win. Who that is, however, only I know. I don't actually have time to give the winner their prize at the moment, so I'm holding the winner's name ransom for a bit. On Halloween Day, I'll announce the winner. (I know that seems a long way off, but that's about when I'm going to have free time again.)

But, due to the wait, I'm also increasing the prize. So, no worries there.

Can anyone guess what tall, tall, tall structure we reach in the next chapter?

Review?


	25. Tower

Over the few days following the Tower of Mana, Lloyd learned how angry Genis and Sheena really were as they proceeded to ignore every other member of the group except Colette. For the night they spent outside the Tower, and the entirety of the day it took to get to Hima, not a word was spoken by those two that was directed to anyone except each other or Colette.

Colette, who couldn't answer, felt horrible, both about not telling them and causing this type of reaction, but that she couldn't do anything about it.

Lloyd understood their anger and was simply keeping quiet, knowing his friends would talk to them when they were just wished he was ready for what was coming, but he knew he'd never be ready to lose that smiling face.

Raine felt horrible for not telling her brother and getting this kind of reaction. She wanted her brother to talk to her- she missed hearing his happy voice. She hated that she was going to have to say goodbye to Colette in less than 24 hours. She hated it all, but at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder if she could have stopped it if she'd tried.

Anna was torn. She loved Colette like she was her own daughter. She would never let Kratos lead Lloyd to his death the way they were leading Colette, but she also knew that Colette needed to- she needed to reverse the mana flow, and in order to do that, Martel needed to take Colette.

Kratos wished he could take someone else- almost anyone else to Martel, but Colette was the closest signature they'd had in millennia and there was a chance that Mithos would actually be revived- that Martel would be happy, that the entire problem would be solved this time. He couldn't let that pass.

So the walk was mostly silent except for an occasional word passed about how much longer it would be. They got to Hima and settled in at the Inn, Kratos telling them they'd leave in the morning. Lloyd headed out to the stables to visit Noishe, while the others split off to do their own things, be it supplies, food, or crying.

As Lloyd stood there with Noishe, he spoke softly, "Am I a bad person?"

Noishe whined and pressed his head up against Lloyd, making him smile a little, "Thanks, Noishe…"

"Lloyd! Lloyd!"

Surprised simply to hear Genis calling his name, Lloyd turned around, but froze at the look of pure horror on the half-elf's face.

"Colette's gone!"

Of course his father would have taken her ahead. Kratos didn't want him to have doubts- didn't want her to have mixed thoughts.

The sheer pain Lloyd felt when he realized she'd been taken away made his decision.

"Come on." He lead Genis out of the building and up the mountain to where Sheena was already climbing on a dragon. Lloyd didn't even blink at her sudden appearance. "Get on with her." He ordered Genis, before paying the dragon seller for his own winged beast and climbing right on. Once Genis and Sheena were ready, they flew off towards the Tower.

To their surprised, they landed there only to find Raine and Anna fighting a group of monsters. The two women turned to the kids with annoyance on their faces.

"You weren't supposed to come." Anna said.

"I had to." Lloyd's face was blank.

Anna angrily jabbed the final monster, knocking him out, and ran into the Tower, "Come on, then!"

Lloyd nodded, and they all followed his mother.

The inside of the Tower was quite homey, situation considered. A long translucent staircase lined the walls, and a teleporter shined in the middle of a stone bridge. The walls were made of the same stone, and below them was a blackness that seemed to go on forever.

Anna didn't stop to look around- she kept running, straight onto the transporter. Lloyd followed his mother, and after only a moment of hesitation, the others threew followed as well.

They made it to the top floor only to freeze. Kratos was standing to the side and Anna walked right to him.,

Colette was floating in the air, her pink wings shining and her red eyes cold.

Remiel stood on the platform, his white-feathered wings still, smiling at the changed Colette.

Genis was about to scream Colette's name, but Raine muffled it by hiding her little brother. Lloyd walked, shocked, towards the angel-girl.

"Colette?"

The angel's eyes snapped over, red rubies glistening with unshed tears.

"Lloyd." Kratos called his son.

Lloyd shook his head.

"Lloyd, come on. We need to go home."Anna spoke, sadness in her voice.

"No." Lloyd spoke.

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a sharp, angry cry from behind them. "Y-you BASTARD!"

Lloyd whirled around to see Genis chanting a spell. A giant spear of fire pierced Remiel's body, spreading to his clothes and burning him. Surprised, Kratos hit Remiel with a low-level water spell to extinguish the flames and turned to Genis as Anna ran up to the coughing Remiel.

"What did you do that for?! That bastard deserved to die!" Genis shouted as Raine held him back.

"Genis, killing someone is never a good decision!" Raine snapped.

"But he deserved it! H-he deserved it!" Genis stammered, as his anger turned into sadness and he collapsed into sobs, Raine pulling him close.

A flash of green suddenly alerted everyone, as Martel appeared, green wings fluttering proud.

"What happened down here?!" she cried, "I heard screaming!"

"Remiel needs medical attention." Anna spoke calmly, "He's alive but badly burned."

"Pronyma!" Martel called, the angel appearing and taking Remiel away. Anna stood up.

"Wait a minute!" Raine said, shocked, "Why- why do you have wings?! Isn't she your firend, Anna? Why does she-?"

Martel turned, surprised, to the shocked half-elf. She spoke softly, I'm sorry…"

Raine's eyes widened even further as Martel took Colette's hand to lead her away until an arrow embedded itself into Martel's shoulder.

Martel shouted in pain as Kratos whirled around to protect her, only to see a huge influx of Renegades stream into the room. One knocked Martel to the side, grabbing Colette, two restrained the struggling Lloyd before finally knocking him unconscious by knocking him up the side of his head with the blunt side of a sword.

"Lloyd!!" Anna screamed, as two ran at her, leaving her stuck trying to protect the currently useless Martel and unable to grab her son as he was dragged away. Seven were surrounding Kratos, and three had grabbed Genis, Raine, and Sheena.

Anna screamed her son's name again as the Renegades disappeared into the teleporter, dragging Lloyd's unconscious body behind them. The scream was cut off abruptly by one of them hitting her with his sword and knocking her unconscious.

* * *

I'm not quite sure I want to comment. Review and tell me if I handled it right. Next chapter's half written already, expect it soon.


	26. Capture

When Lloyd woke up, he was in a dimly lit cell, manacles cuffing his arms together. No one else shared his cell , but he could see Raine, Sheena, and Genis sitting in the cell across from him without manacles on.

"Lloyd, thank goodness. We thought you weren't going to wake up." Raine said, relief coating her words.

"Are you all okay?" Lloyd asked, climbing to his knees with some difficulty and wincing as he headed towards the glowing bars, noting that Raine Sheena and Genis were trapped by normal metal.

"We're fine- they weren't rough with us." Sheena spoke, "Just you."

Lloyd winced, "Agh, well, they didn't have to be." He said, "Where's Colette?"

"The cell next to you." Raine said, "She's okay."

"And my parents?" Lloyd asked.

Raine frowned at their mention, "They weren't taken."

Lloyd cursed softly.

"Lloyd, why does Mara have wings?" Raine calmly asked, but it was clear by the look on her face that she was feeling a bit betrayed.

Lloyd sighed. He wracked his mind to try and remember the story that his father had told Colette, not wanting to lie to Raine, Genis, and Sheena more than he needed to. In fact, he considered just blowing the entire secret- telling them everything, but now wasn't the time. "Mara… Mara's an old family friend. When Dad originally agreed to go with Colette in the journey, Mara was introduced to him as a… liaison. To Cruxis. She's an angel, which is why she has wings."

Raine fell silent. A moment later, before any other words could be exchanged, a door slammed open. A half-efl with sunken, black eyes walked in.

"I see we're all awake now." He said, with a smirk.

Lloyd took one look at his face before cursing loudly and trying to attack him, which proved to be a really stupid idea because the glowing bars electrocuted him before sending him flying backwards into the back wall of the cell. He slid down, his body weak with pain.

The half elf turned to him as this was going on, "Oh, the insufferable brat. Wondering why you're not with the others?"

"Not really." Lloyd snapped, "Knowing you, it probably has something to do with my mother."

Annoyed, the half elf hit a button on a remote he was holding, and Lloyd's manacles sparked up, electrocuting him again. He screamed, and the half elf hit the button once more to stop it.

"I suggest you cooperate, little angeling, or it'll be even more painful next time." He said, before turning and ordering the two guards there. "Grab the girl and bring her to my office." With that, he left.

One of the guards walked over to Colette's cell, but as he touched the bars to open them, he set on fire and burned to a crisp. He'd obviously either not been informed of the trap, or was just really stupid. Either way.

"Idiot." The other one muttered, pulling her helmet off. Silver hair tumbled out, falling down to frame her face and hang just below her shoulders. "Come on. Kvar won't believe we're coming for long." She hit a button on the side of the room, unlocking Raine, Genis, and Sheena's cell, before walking to the console in between Lloyd and Colette's cells and typing in a code. The bars vanished, and she walked into Lloyd's to help him up. "I can't get those manacles off you yet. I'm sorry."

"Who are you?" Lloyd asked, his body protesting as he stood up and began to walk.

"There's no time to explain. You have to trust me." She said, handing Lloyd to Raine to take care of, a as Sheena lead Colette out of her cell.

Lloyd was hesitant, but Rain nodded, "Lead the way."

The female smiled at her, and began to lead them down hallways towards what they presumed would be the exit of the building.

"Can I at least get a name?" Lloyd asked as Raine helped him limp after her. He wanted to know if his father had sent her to help them.

"Sure." She said, not turning to look at them, "It's Virginia."

She missed the look of shock that passed over Raine's face.

XXXX

"Kratos! We have to get them back! Kvar has them!" Anna flipped out as Kratos typed calmly on a computer in Derris Kharlan. After the disaster in the Tower, he, Anna, and Martel had come back to the angel-city.

"I know." Kratos said, simply.

"Then why aren't you DOING ANYTHING?!" Anna snapped.

"Someone's already taken care of it." Kratos said, "I contacted Virginia."

Anna's eyes widened, "She-"

"Come on." Kratos said, interrupting her, "We have to meet them." He left the computer and headed towards the teleporter. Anna hurried after her husband.

"Kratos?" she asked, hesitant.

He turned to her.

"Should we? I'm sure Raine, Genis, and Sheena hate us by now." She frowned. "Not to mention, we promised Virginia-"

Kratos cut her off again, "If they hate us, that's their choice. Either way, Virginia said that Lloyd was in bad shape- we need to pick him up so he can get proper medical attention."

Anna's eyes widened and she was at the teleporter faster than Kratos could blink. He smiled fondly and followed her.

XXXX

They were halfway to Triet, standing in the middle of the desert when a communicating device began to make noises on Virginia's belt. She grabbed it and hit a button, speaking. "Kloitz?"

A man's voice responded, "Virginia, get back here- Kvar's going nuts."

"I'll be right there." Virginia said, putting it back on her belt and turning to the group she'd just helped escape, "You should be safe now, but get to Triet as fast as you can."

"Thank you Virginia." Lloyd said. The elf nodded and ran back towards the building. Lloyd glanced down at his manacled hands and sighed, "I can't walk into Triet like this."

"Actually, you just can't walk."Genis snickered.

Lloyd glared at him.

"Alright, alright." He took out his kendama, "Just hold on a second- I'll get them off."

"Hey! Hey hey hey!" Lloyd shouted, alarmed, stumbling backwards and wincing as he hit the sand, "No setting me on fire."

Genis crossed his arms and put his kendama down, "I'll have you know I didn't plan to."

Sheena frowned, "Guys…"

The two glanced at her, sheepish, realizing that this really was no time to be joking around. Lloyd looked over at Colette with a sigh, and nodded once, "Okay. To Triet. I'll worry about the manacles later."

They set off again. However, it was to their surprise that they ran into ten Renegades, sitting on the outskirts of Triet.

"Hey, Lord Kvar was right!" one of them shouted, "They did end up escaping!"

Lloyd sweatdropped- leave it to Kvar to plan for their escape.

Sheena cursed, and Raine pulled her staff out. The Renegades began to charge, and Sheena tossed something at Lloyd, "Turn that on!" she shouted. He was stuck in the middle of a circle with Colette, Genis, Sheena, and Raine around them, protecting them.

Lloyd fumbled to catch it with manacled hands, "Wha-?!"

"Just do it!"

Lloyd looked it over as fast as he could and came across a switch. Flipping it, the little machine started to warm up. Sheena spread her arms and summoned a Guardian- her last one- using it to knock the Renegades backwards. Unfortunately, it couldn't knock them all out as well, and they were readvancing, now really angry.

The machine emitted a bright white light that surrounded the five group members, and they found themselves falling as the Renegades stared in shock.

* * *

Big Reveal Number 2 advances! Woot!

Did you catch all three twists? ;)

Hope you enjoyed! Review?


	27. City

If you were walking by Meltokio when Sylvarant's Regeneration group appeared in midair, you would have heard loud screaming as the members of the group hurtled towards the ground, and landed in a heap.

Lloyd was at the bottom of the pile, with Raine on top of him and Genis barely to his side. Sheena had landed on top, but rolled to the side and smacked her head on the concrete ground of the pathway. Colette, meanwhile, had landed smoothly to the side and was now standing, once again unresponsive.

Sheena pushed herself up off the ground, groaning as the world spun, and turned (or at least attempted to) to Raine, who was trying to get up despite her little brother being on top of her.

"Genis, move." Raine finally said in a stern voice, and the boy scrambled off of his sister.

Raine stood up and looked Sheena over, "Are you okay?"

"A little dizzy." Sheena said.

Raine nodded and turned to the swordsman who'd been crushed at the bottom of the pile. He looked a little worse than in the desert, which wasn't good considering how horrible and hurt he'd looked in the desert. She went to take her staff out, but Sheena shook her head.

"Not here." Sheena said, "Let's get him inside first."

"But-" Raine protested.

"Please, Raine." Sheena insisted, "Trust me?"

Lloyd pulled himself up, with great difficulty, as his hands were still handcuffed together, and looked at Raine, "I'll be alright for a little while."

Raine frowned, but nodded, "Alright. Where are we?" she asked.

"My hometown." Sheena said, finally getting her head back on straight and looking around, "Okay, there's the Elemental Research Academy…" she muttered to herself, "Mom and Dad are probably there."

Raine looked around, letting Sheena assess their situation herself- she seemed to know her way around, at least.

Sheena nodded, "Okay. I'm going to get my parents. They should be able to help us move Lloyd without hurting him too much more.

Lloyd shook his head, "Just help me up; I can walk."

Sheena put her hands on her hips, "I hardly think-"

"Sheena." Lloyd said, "Come on."

Raine helped Lloyd up and he stood, a little wobbly at first, but nodded, "Okay. Lead the way, Sheena."

Genis, who had been standing back, checking to make sure Colette was okay, spoke up, "Wait, Lloyd… Colette's going to attract attention."

Lloyd turned. The angel was standing there, motionless and quiet, her red eyes glazed over and her wings fluttering with the slight breeze. Any signs of life were gone, as the girl didn't even seem to be breathing. Lloyd frowned.

"Genis is right. Colette needs to stay hidden, or we need to find a way to cover her wings." Raine spoke.

"Okay, then we're back to my original plan." Sheena said, "Lloyd will sit down and stop hurting himself more and I'll go get my parents and a blanket or something to cover Colette's wings."

Raine nodded at the same time as Lloyd shook his head, "If you're going anywhere, someone's going with you."

"Raine, then." Sheena said, "The two of you can watch Colette, right?"

Lloyd didn't look happy, but nodded.

"Come on." Sheena said to Raine, who barked a quick goodbye to the two boys before following Sheena away.

Genis frowned, "Maybe you should sit down, Lloyd."

"I'm fine." Lloyd said, "Why does everyone keep telling me to sit down?"

"Umm… because you look like Raine ran you over in a mad rush to get to something old." Genis crossed his arms.

Lloyd looked at him, "I don't look that bad."

Genis raised an eyebrow.

XXXX

Anna stomped into the computer room of Welgaia, where Kratos and Martel were working diligently on something. She walked to Kratos's chair, spun it around, and glared at him full in the face. "WHERE THE HELL IS MY SON?"

Kratos didn't flinch, "He's my son as well."

"Not anymore." Anna said, still glaring, "YOU lost him."

Kratos sighed.

Martel grumbled loudly, "Gahhhh, I can't get ANYTHING from Lloyd's signal in Sylvarant!" she said, "Even if he was DEAD this thing should still be able to find his corpse!"

Anna turned and glared at Martel, "Lloyd is not dead."

"I didn't say he was! I was just saying that if he was, I could still find him!" Martel said.

"Then why can't you find him?!" Anna snapped.

"I don't knowwwww!" Martel whined.

"Hold on." Kratos said, sitting Anna down in a chair and coming over to Martel's computer. "You said you couldn't find a trace of his signal in Sylvarant, right?"

Martel nodded, "Yeah…"

"What if he's in Tethe'alla?" Kratos frowned.

"It's not programmed to work with Tethe'alla's mana." Martel frowned, "That much mana would… short it out. Crap." Martel slammed her head down on the keyboard in front of her.

"So, in other words, we have no idea where he is at all." Anna crossed her arms

"Basically…" Martel said, her voice muffled slightly by the keyboard.

Anna stood up and grabbed her husband's arm, dragging him towards the door.

"Anna?" Kratos asked as he was forced to follow his wife, "Where are we going?"

"Tethe'alla." Anna said.

Martel hurried to catch up, "Wait, you can't just go to Tethe'alla!" she said.

"And why not?" Anna crossed her arms.

"Your signal will do the same thing as Lloyd's if you step foot there. It's programmed to ignore Derris Kharlan's mana, but I have to program it to ignore Tethe'alla's…" Martel frowned.

"So, use Kratos's signal. He goes to Tethe'alla all the time." Anna crossed her arms.

"But- Tethe'alla's huge!" Martel said, "How are you supposed to find Lloyd?!"

"The old fashioned way. Looking." Anna stomped towards the teleporters.

Kratos turned to Martel, "I assume Colette's signal is the same as Lloyd's?"

Martel nodded, sighing, "They weren't supposed to go to Tethe'alla."

"Okay." Kratos said, "Anna and I will look around Tethe'alla." He said, "Try and find some way to get Lloyd or Colette's signals working."

Martel nodded, "Alright…"

Kratos was about to say something else when Anna shouted for him again. Sighing, he nodded to Martel, who smiled weakly, and hurried to catch up with his wife. Yuan walked over.

"Are you okay?" Yuan asked Martel.

Martel turned to him, "I just… screwed up everything…" she said, "Now instead of just losing the Chosen, I've lost Lloyd too. And I managed to let them all get taken by Kvar…" Martel shook her head, "I've gotta go." She spread her wings and flew away from Yuan, who frowned and sighed.

XXXX

It took almost a half hour for Sheena and Raine to return, Sheena holding a folded up blanket, and followed by Sheena's mother, who Lloyd recognized from Luin.

"Hello, Mrs. Fujibayashi." Lloyd said.

Amia looked at the boy and her eyes widened, "What happened?" she asked Sheena, who frowned.

"I'll explain when everyone's settled." Sheena said, "But it's a long story."

"We'll have plenty of time." Amia said, sounding a little stern and worried at the same time, "Put the blanket on your friend's shoulders to cover her wings. Lloyd, can you walk?"

Lloyd nodded. He'd never sat down, much to Genis's annoyance.

"Okay. Follow me, then." Amia lead them through the streets towards the building that Sheena had pointed out earlier. They walked into the front doors without anyone noticing anything was weird with them, which Lloyd found a little odd. He was beaten up and was going to fall over at any minute, but no one even seemed to notice.

Amia lead them into the Elemental Research Laboratory and through past the front desk to a small waiting room.

"Here, make yourselves comfortable." Amia said, taking the blanket off of Colette's shoulders and folding it, placing it on one of the couches. Raine pulled her staff out and immediately set to healing Lloyd, despite his protests of being fine.

Amia didn't even seem to blink at Raine's use of magic, and walked over to the window, shutting the curtains. She turned to Sheena, "Okay, what happened? Are you hurt?" she looked her daughter over.

Sheena shook her head, "I'm fine, Mom." She insisted, "And…" she frowned looking at Raine.

"We may as well tell your mother." Raine said, "She may be able to help Colette."

Sheena nodded, "Okay, I'll do my best."

The conversation faded away from Lloyd's head for a moment then. He glanced at the shut curtains of the room. Raine had stopped healing him, getting distracted by explaining Colette's condition and what had happened.

He didn't feel much better. Had Raine even completed one spell before getting distracted? Probably not. And come to think of it, why hadn't his parents found him yet- didn't he have a tracer or something on him? He seemed to remember Martel mentioning one.

Why was everything spinning?

"Lloyd!"

His head crashed into the floor as his vision darkened and sound faded away.

* * *

And there you have it. Geez, this took two months. I'm sorryyyyy.

My explanation for November is NaNoWriMo, which I ended up winning this year (YAY!) and I've been working on it since then. What I wrote in October was all fail, though, so I had to start it over.

It's done now, though! Be happy! Despite the not-so-happy chapter!

I'm getting really into this again, so hopefully an update soon. Lemme know what you thought!


	28. Recovery

Lloyd woke up feeling better than when he'd fallen asleep. His entire body still ached, but at least he didn't feel like pain pudding any more. His hands were no longer handcuffed together, he realized with relief. Lloyd forced his eyes open and looked around. He was in a small room, lying in a bed opposite a window with the curtains drawn so he couldn't tell if it was light or dark outside. The door on the side wall was shut, and Lloyd was alone.

Lloyd sighed softly, looking up at the ceiling, not wanting to move and hurt himself more. It was quiet around him, no muffled noises made it through the door and there didn't seem to be anything going on outside, either. He shut his eyes.

He lay there in silence for a few minutes. He opened his eyes again when he heard the sound of the door opening. A man with hair the same color as Sheena's walked in. He had the same sort of mysterious feel to him that Sheena did.

"Ah, you're awake." He commented, walking over, "How are you feeling?"

"Less like I'm about to die." Lloyd said.

"Better than nothing." He said, handing Lloyd a bottle of water. Lloyd took it and drank.

"So, who are you?" Lloyd asked as he lowered the bottle, glancing at the man in front of him.

"Sheena's father, Seichi Fujibayashi." He said.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you." Lloyd said.

Seichi nodded, "I'll go tell the others that you're awake. I wouldn't move yet, though- you're far from recovered." With that, Seichi left the room and Lloyd sunk down into the pillows again.

XXXX

"He's up?" Amia asked as Seichi returned holding the empty water bottle. Her husband nodded and glanced around.

"Where did everyone go? I was only gone for a few minutes." He asked.

"Sheena took them on a tour of the city. Colette's in Sheena's room, on her bed. Sheena figured they could all use a little fresh air." Amia said. "I'll go check on Lloyd's condition." She headed for the stairs, and Seichi smiled at her as she went.

XXXX

"If you look up there, you can see the palace." Sheena said, gesturing to the figure in the distance up many flights of stairs. "It's not as far as it looks." She smiled. "What else do you guys want to see?"

Genis looked around, trying to get his mind off of, well, everything. "You said there was some kind of coliseum, right?" he asked.

Sheena nodded, "Yep. It's actually right over here-" she turned around, only to notice a man with long, bright red hair standing behind her.

"Well, long time no see, cutie." He smirked at her.

Sheena grumbled, "Ugh, Zelos-"

"Hey, hey now." The man, Zelos, laughed, "You know I'm joking. Welcome back."

"Yeah, yeah." Sheena rolled her eyes, "Raine, Genis, this is Zelos Wilder." She said, "He's the son of Tethe'alla's Chosen."

"You say that with such disdain; I'm upset." Zelos chuckled.

Sheena rolled her eyes again. "This is Raine and Genis Sage."

"Nice t'meetcha." Zelos said.

"You too." Raine nodded.

"I was showing them around town when you showed up." Sheena said, "They're, erm… new in town."

"Tourists?" Zelos asked.

"No, they're, um, friends of my parents. Raine, I mean. She's a researcher, like them." Sheena said.

"Okay, I'm getting bored." Zelos yawned.

"Zelos!" A shout came from behind the red-head, who turned to see a girl around Genis's age running towards them, "Zelos, dad told you that you couldn't go out! He's soooo angry!"

"Geez, Seles." Zelos said, "He won't be angry once he sees who I found." He grinned at Sheena.

"No way! I'm not getting you out of your problems AGAIN." Sheena snapped.

"Aww, Sheenaaaaa!" Zelos whined, as Seles waved to Sheena.

"Welcome back, Sheena." She said with a smile. Sheena smiled back at the young girl. Seles grabbed Zelos's wrist and began to drag him towards the stairs, "Come ON, Zelos! You don't want to get in even MORE trouble!"

"He shouldn't even be able to punish me; I'm an adult!" Zelos said.

"You sure don't act like one!"

The two of them vanished up the stairs, and Sheena turned to Raine and Genis, apology on her face. "Sorry about that… That was Seles Wilder, Zelos's half-sister."

"Oh." Raine said, "Are they always like that?"

"Yes." Sheena answered without missing a beat, "Always. They are good people, though." She smiled, "Zelos's dad and step-mom are my mom's closest friends, so I sort of grew up with Zelos."

"I see." Raine nodded, "Well, you two do seem to have a close relationship despite the bickering." She smiled, and Sheena nodded.

"Definitely. Except when he tries to flirt with me." Sheena made a look of disgust, "Anyway, do you still want to see the Coliseum?" she asked Genis, who nodded in agreement, looking thrilled. Sheena smiled and led them away.

XXXX

When the three made it back to the Elemental Research Laboratory that afternoon, they found Lloyd was actually up, sitting in the living room.

"Lloyd!" Genis said, running over.

"Lloyd, how are you feeling?" Raine asked, ready to cast more healing spells if she had to.

"Better." Lloyd said, "Don't worry about me." He assured her.

"He's recovering faster than I'd expected." Amia said, walking in, "Dinner's almost ready." She said.

"Lloyd's always recovered really fast." Genis said, "Kratos too. It runs in the family."

Lloyd nodded. He wasn't exactly going to explain to them that Genis was wrong and the reason he and his father healed so fast was because his father was an angel and therefore Lloyd has inherited his angel blood.

Yeah, that wouldn't have gone over well.

XXXX

"Any luck?" Yuan asked, walking into the computer room, where Martel was busy tapping away at one of the systems, trying to find Lloyd or Colette's signal.

"No." Martel sighed, "I'm getting really worried. I know Sheena knows her way around Tethe'alla, but Lloyd, Genis, and Raine don't! And having Colette just stranded there when we were so close…"

Yuan frowned, "We'll find them. Kratos and Anna are searching on foot, and I've contacted everyone I know to keep an eye out. You keep trying to find a signal."

Martel nodded, "Yeah, but it's still not a promise we'll find them." She frowned, "I can't believe I managed to let the Renegades get their slimy hands on them, and then lose them AGAIN."

"Virginia's been able to confirm that the Renegades definitely don't have them anymore, at least." Yuan said, "So, we can rule that possibility out."

Martel sighed.

"We'll find them, Martel." Yuan said, sitting down next to her.

Martel leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed, "I sure hope so…"

* * *

WOOT ZELOS.

Twists are coming back! Also, I'm posting a companion fic to this- Basically the story of Amia and Zelos's dad and step-mom. I ended up working their story out so much that I've decided to make it a side-fic. It'll be much shorter, but it's going to cover from when Amia met Seichi, and Zelos's backstory, so it'll fill in a lot of holes that I can't cover in this fic.

Lemme know what you thought!


	29. Plans

"So, you don't know what we can do?" Raine asked with a frown, looking at Colette's prone form on the bed. With her eyes closed the way they were, she almost looked asleep, except for the lingering fact that she was soulless and would obey any order given to her- no matter who gave it to her.

Amia sighed, "I've never studied Cruxis Crystals, or exspheres, though I probably should have. The only other person I can think of who might have an idea would be Collin. If you'd like, I can ask him to come by."

"Collin?" Raine asked, looking at Amia.

"Collin Wilder. He's the Chosen for this world, and a very good friend of mine." Amia explained.

"Oh, Zelos's father." Raine said.

"You've met Zelos?" Amia asked, surprised.

"Yes, we ran into him while Sheena was showing us around. She introduced us." Raine answered, "If you think that he can help, yes, please, call him."

Amia nodded, "I'll go call him now, then." She left the room. Raine looked back down at Colette and sighed.

XXXX

"Hello, Chosen." The woman sitting at the front desk of the Elemental Research Academy bowed as Collin Wilder walked into the building.

Collin waved his hand and spoke, "Hey, Marie. Is Amia here?"

"Yes, she's upstairs in her apartment. Shall I call up?" Marie asked, sitting back down.

Collin shook his hand, "Nah, I'll just go up- she's expecting me." He headed towards the stairs, "Thanks, Marie." Collin walked up four flights of stairs, finally stopping at the door that lead to the fifth floor and knocking. A minute later, Sheena opened the door.

"Hey, Mr. Wilder." She smiled, letting him in. "Mom!"

Amia walked out, waving to Collin, "Come on, she's down here."

Collin patted Sheena on the head and followed his friend down the hallway to the room where Colette was laying.

"Collin, this is Raine Sage, Raine, this is Collin." Amia introduced them both. Collin nodded and Raine did the same, before Collin walked over to Colette.

"Okay, explain to me exactly what happened."

XXXX

"Hey, Sheena." Lloyd said, walking over to her. He looked a lot better than even earlier that day- the color had returned to his face, and he wasn't limping and hobbling quite as much as before.

Sheena turned and smiled, "Hey, Lloyd." She was sitting in the living room, curled up in a chair, reading, trying to relax.

Lloyd sat down on the couch, wincing as his body protested the movement, but the pain faded slightly soon enough, "So, I have a question."

Sheena smiled again, "Yeah?"

"You said you were from Mizuho, and then said Meltokio was your hometown." Lloyd said.

"Well…" Sheena sighed, "They're both my home, to be honest. My dad grew up in Mizuho, but my mom's from Meltokio. I was born here and kind of spent half my time here and half in Mizuho."

Lloyd nodded. There was silence for a minute before he spoke again, "So, did Raine and Genis freak out too much when you explained that this was a different world?"

Sheena laughed, "Mom handled that. I forgot- you were unconscious when that happened."

Lloyd chuckled.

"Yeah, Genis freaked out, but I think Raine already knew." Sheena shrugged.

Lloyd frowned, "Oh."

Sheena glanced at him, "So… your parents…"

"Yeah?" Lloyd asked.

"They know about Tethe'alla, and they know that Mara girl that's an angel. So, do you think they'll be coming here?" Sheena asked.

"I don't even know if they know I'm here." Lloyd sighed. Sheena frowned. "I've got no way to get in contact with them either." Lloyd finished.

"It'll be okay." Sheena smiled. Lloyd smiled back at her.

"Yeah, I hope." He said.

XXXX

"Geez, is that's what gonna happen to me, I hope I die before I'd have to go on a regeneration journey." Collin spoke.

"Collin!" Amia smacked him, "Don't be rude!"

"I'm just saying!" Collin said.

Raine shook her head, "It's okay, I understand. Do you have any ideas?"

Collin frowned, "Well… Kaley studied my crystal for awhile. She was saying that it reminded her of concentrated mana." He explained, "But she said it was… corrupted somehow."

Raine was silent for a minute, before speaking, "So, you think that the corruption is what allowed Cruxis to do this to Colette?"

Collin nodded, "Probably."

"So the question is counteracting it, then." Amia muttered.

"Tell me if there's something wrong with this plan, but if the corruption's because of the crystal, why don't we just take it off?" Collin asked.

"No!" Raine and Amia shouted in almost unison.

"We have no idea what effect that could have on Colette's body. If her body has become dependent on the crystal in any way, she could be even further harmed." Amia spoke.

"Geez, sorry!" Collin said, backing up, "It was just a suggestion. You and Kaley are the researchers, not me."

"When Kaley gets home, can you ask her about this?" Amia asked, sighing, "She knows much more about this entire situation because she's studied your crystal, even if it was only for a little bit."

Collin frowned, "She's out at the Imperial Research Academy in Sybak, though." He said, "It could be weeks before she gets back."

Amia frowned as well.

Raine spoke up, "What if we went to her?" she asked, "We can meet her in Sybak."

"You'll have to get clearance to take the bridge, but…" Amia glanced at Collin, who sighed.

"Never say I'm not nice." He said, "I'll go talk to the king."

Amia grinned, "Thanks, Collin."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll come by later and let you know what he said." Collin left the room, and Raine glanced at Amia.

"Thank you so much for everything you're doing for us." She said.

Amia smiled at her, "Of course. Sheena grew attached to you all while she was in Sylvarant. You treated her well, and it's only fair that I return the favor."

Raine smiled back.

XXXX

Collin walked up the stairs to the palace. The guards stepped to the side, letting him in, and he quickly found the King in his quarters.

"Ah, Collin, come in." The King spoke as soon as he saw Collin poke his head into the room. Collin walked in and shut the door behind him, walking over to the desk where the King was sitting, signing papers. "What can I do for you?"

"I actually need to ask for your permission for a few friends of mine to cross the bridge." Collin said, "It's kind of last minute, but they need to get to Sybak."

The King frowned, "Are they working with the Research Laboratory, or…?"

Collin frowned, "Well… they need to speak to Kaley. It involves research she conducted a couple of years ago, and I don't have the information they need. Someone's life hangs in the balance."

"Without meeting them and knowing them trustworthy I can't send them without an escort." The King frowned, "As much as I'd love to trust your word, Collin, policy-"

Collin nodded, "Nah, I know, I know. Those not employed by the Research Laboratory, or the Research Academy must be escorted between except in special, trusted cases." Collin recited it, sighing and thinking.

"Would you be able to escort them?" The King asked.

Collin shook his head, "I can't- Seles." He frowned, "But Zelos can." He said, smirking.

"As long as your son agrees to it, then I can sign the papers." The King said.

"I'll make sure he agrees." Collin nodded. The King turned to his desk, pulling a form out, and quickly filled it in, signing, and handing it to Collin.

"In that case, there you go." He said, "They'll be checking Zelos is with them at the bridge, on both ends."

Collin nodded, "Thank you, your majesty."

"No problem." The King turned back to his work and Collin took his leave, heading back to Amia's to give her the forms.

XXXX

"Dad!" Zelos protested.

"Zelos, you're considered licensed by the Research Academy, which means you are currently the only one who can take them!" Collin said, "Consider it a vacation, a field trip, anything, just go." The Chosen's arms were crossed and he was being stern with his son, which was rare in itself.

Zelos sighed. "Seriously, dad, the last thing I want is to escort some people I barely know all the way to Sybak."

"Sheena's going with them." Collin said, "And you know Sheena."

Zelos frowned, then nodded, "Alright, fine."

"Good. They've told me they're leaving in the morning, so you'll have to meet them down at Amia's." Collin said, "Besides, don't you want to see Kaley?"

"Kaley's great and all, Dad, but honestly, whenever I go to the Academy she expects me to study more." Zelos said, "Considering how much of that I've already done, I'm not really interested."

Collin sighed and shook his head, before heading up the stairs to his room. Zelos sat down on the couch, sighing.

"I so didn't plan for a trip to Sybak." He muttered.

XXXX

"We're leaving?" Genis asked, surprised. He and his older sister were standing in one of the kitchen.

Raine nodded, "Yes. Lloyd is up to walking now, and this world's Chosen had gotten us clearance to cross the bridge and go to Sybak to meet with his wife. He said she might be able to help figure out how to help Colette."

Genis frowned, "But…"

"Sheena will be coming along, as will Zelos." Raine added. "Genis, this is for Colette."

Genis sighed, "Alright, fine…"

Raine smiled.

XXXX

"Where ARE we?!" Anna asked her husband, who sighed, rubbing the side of his head.

"We are about a ten minute walk away from Ozette." He answered.

"And what are the chances that Lloyd is there?" Anna asked.

"About the same as the chances that he is anywhere else in Tethe'alla." Kratos said, "At the moment all we can do is look for him, Anna. This was your idea."

Anna sighed, "I know…"

* * *

And so the group is off to Sybak! Er, will be! Obviously you can see some similar elements between this and the actual game, even though everything is basically different at the same time. As for the 'corrupted mana' thing, Raine and the others have never seen an exsphere. I have a long, winded explanation for why they never needed them, which if anyone really wants to know, PM me or review and ask and I'll make sure to reply with the entire thing.

But it basically all spawns out from the lack of Desians. So, since no one can compare the Cruxis Crystal to an exsphere, there's the lack of actual basis for much here.

And Kaley's the half-elf that Zelos's father had an affair with in the actual game that killed Zelos's mother. OBVIOUSLY things didn't happen this way in here, since Collin and Kaley are married. Side-story/explained later.

Sooooo, review?


	30. Bridge

Zelos sat impatiently in the living room of Sheena's apartment, wishing they could just leave already. Sheena plopped herself down in a chair, "Impatient as always, Zelos." She rolled her eyes.

"I didn't ask to escort you and your friends to Sybak." Zelos said.

"I know, but thank you anyway." Sheena said, "Raine's just getting Colette now- we're leaving soon."

Zelos nodded.

Raine walked in a moment later, leading the red-eyes angel behind her. Zelos's eyes widened slightly.

"That's Colette." Sheena said.

"Oh." Zelos said simply.

Lloyd walked in, adjusting the straps for his swords, purposely keeping his eyes away from Colette, refusing to look at her. Sheena beckoned him over.

"Lloyd, this is Zelos, Zelos, Lloyd Aurion."

"Nice to meet you." Lloyd said. Zelos just nodded.

"Are we ready to go, then?" Genis asked as he walked into the room, the last one to arrive.

"I think so." Raine nodded, "Sheena, did you say goodbye to your parents?"

Sheena nodded as well, "Yep, before they headed downstairs to work this morning."

Raine nodded, and Zelos hopped up, "Alright then, let's go."

XXXX

As they walked, Sheena noticed that the mood was sour and depressed. Determined to fix this despite the constant reminder of the looming problem that was being lead by Raine, Sheena jogged over to Zelos.

"Help me tell them the tale about the history of the bridge." She said, in a pleading tone.

Zelos glanced back at the group, then sighed, "That's such a kid's story, though."

"Raine will love is, Genis is a kid, and Lloyd is, well, Lloyd." Sheena said.

Zelos raised an eyebrow at the last part, but Sheena just shook her head, "Please?"

"Fine…" Zelos sighed.

Sheena grinned and turned back to the rest of the ground, walking backwards, "Zelos and I are going to tell you a story."

Lloyd blinked, "Huh?"

"The Grand Bridge of Tethe'alla was commissioned by the king about 100 years ago. The problem they came up with, however, was that it was impossible to have a bridge that long stay upright without metals they had no access to, and in order to have it work, it needed to be able to open up in the middle, and they had no way to power that." Sheena explained. "With the technology we have here today, this would have been much easier, but 100 years ago, Tethe'alla had only just started to flourish, so the level of technology was much lower."

Zelos took over, "The developer in charge of the project decided to ask the summon spirits for help. He went to each o the four spirits in Tethe'alla."

Sheena grinned, "First he went o Celsius, and asked if she could freeze the water below the bridge so the bridge could be built on top of it"

"Celsius thought this was a horrible idea, and kicked him out of her temple." Zelos said.

"Next he went to Volt and asked if he could use electricity to power the bridge, keep it upright, and allow it to open in the middle."

"Volt kicked him out immediately." Zelos said.

"He went to Gnome next, asking if Gnome could remove the gravity around the bridge so it could float."

"The Gnomelettes dragged the developer out by his ankles." Zelos chuckled.

"With no other ideas, the developer went to Shadow. He had no idea how the spirit of darkness could help him build a bridge, but he was willing to ask. This time, instead of giving a demand, he asked a question. 'Shadow, how can a build a bridge of that length that opens in the middle? Celsius won't help me freeze the water, Volt won't power it, and Gnome won't make it float.'"

"Shadow looked at the developer and said a single word, 'Ask.'"

"The developer looked at him confused, 'Shadow, what do you mean?'"

"Shadow spoke again, 'Tell.'"

"The developer was still confused. Finally, Shadow spoke again, 'Rude,' and kicked the developer out his temple."

"The developer realized then that he had gone into each temple and demanded their help, rather than asking for it. He no longer felt right asking the spirits for help, so he began to build the bridge on his own. Sure enough, the bridge sagged in the middle and broke into pieces."

"To his surprise, however, the bridge suddenly began to float. Ice filled the gaps created by it breaking into pieces, and electricity sparked down the center and powered the drawbridge." Sheena grinned and turned to them, "To this day, it's called the Bridge of the Spirits." As she said that, she gestured to the bridge in the distance. The bridge was magnificent in itself. As the story said, it floated in the air with ice filling the gaps and electricity crackling in the air around it.

"Wow." Raine said, simply, pretty much summing up everyone's opinion.

"Nice, right?" Sheena grinned, "Because the Spirits blessed the bridge, only those trusted by the King or the Academy can cross. Others have to be escorted."

Genis glanced at Sheena, "Your parents are trusted, right? So why aren't you?"

"I haven't graduated yet. I'm studying, or at least I was, under my parents through a side program of the Imperial Research Academy. Zelos already graduated, so he's trusted."

"Oh," Genis frowned.

"Plus I'm the Chosen's son, so I'm trusted that way by the King as well." Zelos explained.

Raine nodded.

"Anyway, it's a long walk across, so let's get going." Sheena smiled.

XXXX

"Long walk across" was an understatement. The bridge was so long that there as a rest area set up in the middle for people to stop, eat, drink, and, well, rest. They made it to the rest area in about three hours, and basically collapsed into chairs. Colette, of course, stood, red-eyed and staring off into space. Lloyd still wouldn't look at her, feeling guilty.

"We shouldn't stay here too long." Zelos said, grabbing a drink and handing over the gald for it, "Anyone else want one?" Raine pulled out the group's pouch of gald, but Zelos shook his head, "I'll pay. Who wants what?"

Genis hopped up and walked over to try and decide, while Raine and Sheena just called out their choices. Zelos ordered them and tossed them to the girls. Lloyd hadn't ordered anything, but Zelos shoved a water bottle into his hand.

"Drink it." He said, before sitting down.

Lloyd blinked, "Uh…"

Raine frowned, "Are you okay? Between getting hurt, Colette, and your parents…"

Lloyd just looked away from here.

They sat there, drinking their drinks in silence until Lloyd's eyes fell on someone in the horizon. He cursed and jumped up, standing in front of Colette.

"Lloyd?" Genis asked, surprised.

"It's Remiel." Lloyd pointed, "Keep him away from Colette!"

Genis pulled his kendama out and Sheena got her cards ready, both still angry about what had happened at the tower.

"What? Who's Remiel?" Zelos asked, unsheathing his sword.

"Long story short, he's the bad guy." Sheena said, "Don't let him get near Colette!"

The blonde angel landed on the bridge. His hair was noticeably shorter, but he looked otherwise perfectly fine despite having been set on fire by Genis in the tower. "Hand over the Chosen."

"Does Martel know you're here?" Lloyd snapped at him.

"That is not your concern, Aurion." Remiel said.

"I think it is. Does she know you're here?" Lloyd repeated.

"She has no idea." Remiel smirked.

"Genis, now!" Lloyd shouted. Genis grinned, happy to inflict more pain on the blonde haired angel that had hurt his friends and released his spell. Lightning poured from the sky and struck Remiel, who grunted in pain. Lloyd ran towards him to stab him as the spell faded, but Remiel flew over him and grabbed the now-unguarded Colette.

"Colette!" Sheena shouted.

"Strike me and you hurt her." Remiel warned.

Lloyd cursed.

Suddenly Raine thought of an idea. "Colette, attack!"

The angel immediately responded to the command, casting Remiel away from her. As he flew backwards, she set her eyes on the next closest person, Lloyd. Surprised, Lloyd blocked the chakram that flew towards him as Raine shouted, "Colette, stop!" The angel fell still again and Lloyd picked up Colette's chakram.

"Guys, run!" Sheena shouted, "I'll hold Remiel off."

"Be careful!" Lloyd shouted to her, grabbing Colette's hand and running. The angel responded, keeping up his pace, as Zelos, Raine and Genis followed.

Remiel struggled up, "Get out of my way, little girl." He said.

Sheena smirked, "I don't think so."

XXXX

The entire group heard Sheena shout as Remiel knocked her out. Lloyd cursed and stopped, letting go of Colette's hand. "Keep going. I'll slow him down."

"You're still weak, Lloyd!" Raine protested.

"I'll be fine!" Lloyd shouted, "Run!"

Raine grabbed Colette's hand and ran, Zelos and Genis behind her. Lloyd drew his swords, ready to attack.

"Angeling, I suggest you get out of the way." Remiel said.

Lloyd shook his head. "Not happening."

XXXX

This time there was no scream to alert the group that Remiel was coming. All the warning they had was a judgment spell barely missing Raine. The healer tumbled to the ground in surprise, Colette falling with her.

"Zelos, take Colette!" Genis shouted.

"Hell no!" Zelos shouted back, "I'm pissed now." He drew his sword and ran towards Remiel, but the man simple knocked him back. Zelos slammed into the railing of the bridge and slumped down, unconscious.

Genis tried to cast a spell, but Remiel hit him with a beam of light and he crumpled to the ground.

"Genis!" Raine shouted.

Remiel came towards her, "Hand over the Chosen and I'll spare your life."

Raine grit her teeth and tried to smack him with her staff, but Remiel blocked it with his arm. The staff broke in two and Remiel knocked Raine aside with a blast of light.

He took Colette's hand and vanished.

* * *

The end!

Just kidding. Don't kill me, please. That is the real "tower" scene, though, so I hope it didn't disappoint. This is where the plotline takes a drastic turn off of the normal route and starts taking the country roads. (Bad analogy.)

Sorry for the delay on this and all of my fics, though. I've been working on my novel, and it's been taking up a lot of time. But I'm not giving up, and this is NOT and in NO WAY abandoned. =D

Oh, and I have a formspring account now! You can ask me anything, and I'll answer! It's loads of fun. Here's mine: formspring . me / DarknessChill (remove the spaces) and here's Kelly's: formspring . me / Eriyu (again, remove the spaces.)

Hope to hear some questions from you guys soon, and review?


	31. Revival

When Lloyd woke up, he was in a small room and was, unfortunately, much more used to waking up in unfamiliar rooms with no idea how he got there than he should have been. He pushed himself up carefully, and finding that no pain greeted him, swung his legs over the side of the bed. Physically he felt fine, it seemed, though he was still rather tired.

Satisfied that he could probably walk without hurting himself, he climbed out of the bed and headed towards the door. Just as he was about to open it, it swung open of its own accord to reveal Sheena.

Her eyes lit up when she saw him, "Lloyd!" she hugged him tightly, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine- you?" Lloyd asked, a little surprised with Sheena's forwardness.

"I'm okay," Sheena let go, "But Colette…"

Lloyd frowned, "Remiel got her?"

Sheena sighed and nodded.

Lloyd cursed loudly. From down the hall, a female voice snapped, "Lloyd! Don't use that kind of language!"

Lloyd's eyes flew to the speaker. Anna was standing at the end of the hall, her arms crossed.

"Mom!" Lloyd shouted, running towards her. Anna hugged him, holding him close and tightly. Sheena couldn't help but smile.

"Your parents were the ones that found us, Lloyd." Sheena said, walking over, "Raine and Genis are still unconscious, but I woke up a little while ago and Zelos before me."

Lloyd glanced at the ninja, and then at his mother, "Where's dad?"

"Checking on things." Anna answered simply.

Lloyd quickly changed the subject, "So, wait." He frowned, "Where are we?"

"Sybak." Sheena answered, "We're in one of the dorms- Kaley pulled some strings to get us a place to stay while we're recovering. Zelos is at the Academy with her right now."

"Oh." Lloyd said.

Anna clapped her hands together, "I have to check on Raine and Genis, but you two should get something to eat." She handed Lloyd some gald, "You've both just woken up."

Lloyd nodded, "Alright, mom."

"Thanks, Anna." Sheena said.

Anna smiled, "No problem." She slipped into Genis's room as Sheena and Lloyd left.

Anna locked the door behind her and looked at Genis's prone form on the bed. His breathing was shallow and he was shaking lightly. The woman bit her lip as she shut the curtains tight.

The spell that Remiel had hit the young half elf with had done a number on him- when Anna and Kratos had found them, he was almost dead. He was more stable now, but there was still quite a bit of healing to be done.

Anna stood beside him, laying her hands on his chest. She chanted a healing spell softly, and her hands began to glow, but the spell sputtered and died.

Anna frowned, "Not strong enough…"

Without Raine awake, she only had one choice. She glanced at the locked door and sighed.

Yellow-orange wings spread from her back as she cast the spell again. This time it was much stronger, and Genis's breathing evened out and his body stopped shaking.

XXXX

Sheena and Lloyd were talking in silence, Lloyd trying to think about anything but Colette. He'd known this was coming. His father was on Derris Kharlan, most likely helping Martel finish the job. They wouldn't kill Colette, they would just…

She would just become Mithos.

Die.

Lloyd suddenly stopped as realization hit him. Really, he should have realized it before- when he'd tried (and failed) to fight Remiel off.

He didn't believe in what Martel was doing. He didn't agree.

He'd been raised knowing what would happen and he'd resigned himself to it, as had she, but she…

He didn't want it.

"Lloyd?" Sheena glanced back at the still Lloyd.

"I have to go." Lloyd said, running towards the exit of Sybak.

"What? Lloyd!" Sheena chased him, but Lloyd was faster, and as he left the city, Sheena lost track of him.

XXXX

Sheena walked into the cafeteria to see Zelos sitting with a blonde haired woman on one side of the room. She headed over and sunk into a chair, silent and a little shocked.

"Sheena?" Zelos raised an eyebrow.

"I lost Lloyd." Sheena said.

Zelos blinked, "What?"

"He freaked out and said he had to go- ran out of the city in a hurry! He's just GONE." Sheena said.

Zelos frowned and leaned back in his chair, "Well, it's not like there are many places he can go. I'm sure he'll be back soon enough."

Sheena didn't really seem convinced. The blonde woman spoke up. "At any rate, it's good to see you've recovered, Sheena." She smiled.

Sheena glanced at her, "Oh, sorry, Kaley- I'm just-"

Kaley just shook her head and smiled, "There's no problem, Sheena. Come on, you should get something to eat."

Sheena flushed as she realized that Lloyd had the gald that Anna had given them to get food. Kaley chuckled and Zelos slid some gald coins across the table.

"Thanks…" Sheena mumbled, taking them and heading up to the counter to get some food.

Zelos glanced at his stepmother, whose happy façade had fallen. She was frowning as she looked out the window on the far side of the room.

"Kaley?" Zelos asked, concerned.

Kaley glanced at him, "This… Anna that found you." She said.

Zelos nodded, "Yeah? What about her?"

"She's Lloyd's mother?" Kaley asked.

Zelos nodded again, "Apparently. That's what she said, and Sheena didn't seem to deny it."

Kaley frowned again.

"What's wrong?" Zelos asked.

"Nothing." Kaley said, finally flashing a smile, "I'm overthinking things again." She said, "Now, on a different topic, there's this brilliant little two week class being offered starting tomorrow, and I think it's-"

"Kaleyyyyyy!" Zelos whined.

XXXX

Kratos watched the computer console in front of him. Martel was standing at his side.

"Where is he GOING?" Kratos muttered. Upon finding Lloyd, Kratos had put a new tracer on him, determined to not lose him again, and said tracer was implying that Lloyd was en route to the Tethe'alla Tower of Salvation.

Martel groaned, "He's your son, Kratos. You go get him." She said, "I've got to finish preparing Colette."

Kratos sighed, "Alright. Go ahead without me, then, when Yuan arrives."

"You sure?" Martel asked, "You've been waiting as long as me for this."

Kratos nodded, "Yes. Who knows how long this will take."

Martel gave him a hug, "Okay. Thank you."

Kratos smiled softly at the girl, "No problem. See you soon." He left the computer room and Martel closed the tracking program.

She walked out of the computer room as well and turned towards a pair of large double doors on the far side of the city. Too lazy to walk, she teleported over and pushed them open.

The great seed was attached to a large machine. Colette's body was laying in the machine, looking as if it was fast asleep. To her surprise, Yuan was standing there.

"Hey, you're here." She said, surprised.

Yuan glanced at her, "You were busy, so I came right here."

"Oh." Martel said, walking up to the seed. She lay her hand on the glass that separated her from Colette.

"Are you sure?" Yuan asked.

Martel glanced at him, "We've been trying to do this for 4000 years, Yuan." She said, simply.

That didn't answer the question.

"Go ahead." Martel said.

Yuan frowned, "You don't want to wait for Kratos?"

"He's going to get Lloyd. He said to go ahead." Martel said. She was completely serious for once- something Yuan hadn't seen for years.

He pressed a button on the side of the machine. Light began to stream from the Great Seed into Colette's body. Colette's eyes flew open and her mouth hung suspended in a silent scream. Finally, the light stopped, and Colette grew limp.

"Open it!" Martel shouted, surprised. Yuan hit the open button, and Colette's body fell out of the machine and into Martel's arms.

Very carefully, Colette's body pushed itself up and looked at Martel, who didn't say anything. Her eyes were red- a very shocking red.

"Martel?" It spoke.

"…Mithos…" Martel muttered, before throwing her arms around her revived brother and hugging him.

Colette, now Mithos, stayed still. "Martel."

Martel pulled back, tears in her eyes.

"Thank you." Mithos said, putting a hand on her head.

Martel sniffled, "You're welcome."

* * *

Umm… I don't actually have anything to say except "Don't kill me!" (And that I think this moved really fast, but I dunno.)

Lemme know what you thought!


	32. Adjustment

"He what?" Anna hissed into the communication device Kratos had given her before he left. She was standing in the hallway outside the rooms they'd been given to stay in while in Sybak, and all things considered, knew that it was probably a bad idea to be talking through a device most of her Sylvarant friends had never seen right outside the rooms they were resting in.

"He seems to be on his way to the Tower." Kratos said calmly. "I'm heading to intercept him now."

"He is so dead when he gets back here. I swear, if that kid pulls another—"

"Miss Anna?"

Anna turned, surprised. Glancing at the communication device in her hand, she hissed, "I'll call you back and shoved it in her pocket, "Um, hello Kaley." She said, awkwardly.

Kaley nodded to the woman and ran a hand through her blonde hair, shifting, "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course." Anna said, still a little bewildered, "What's up?"

"Follow me?" Kaley asked, heading down the hall. Anna cautiously followed the scientist to a room. It was the office that Kaley had been given to use during her stay at the Academy. Kaley shut the door behind Anna and sat in her desk chair, gesturing to the chair on the other side, "Take a seat."

Anna sat down, "I feel like a kid that's been called to the principal's office because of bad behavior or something." She said, laughing cautiously.

Kaley smiled a little, "I just have a question."

Anna nodded, relaxing somewhat, "Okay, what's up?"

"How old are you?"

Anna stiffened, "It's rude to ask a woman her age."

"And I'm sure I'm older than you are." Kaley said, "Just answer the question."

"I'm 42." Anna said, "But I've been told I look young for my age."

Kaley sighed, "And how old were you when you met your husband?"

"What are you getting at here, Kaley?" Anna frowned.

"Just answer the question, Anna." Kaley said.

"I was 19 when I met him." Anna said, "Now answer my question."

Kaley pulled something out of a drawer. It was a picture, laminated in plastic to keep it from aging. When Anna's eyes fell on it, they widened.

"Where did you get that?" Anna asked, standing up.

"I found it." Kaley said, "23 years ago, when Collin was told he had to have a child with Mylene. The man who announced it dropped the photo when he left." Kaley put the photo down on her desk, "I never gave it much thought after that, until I saw you."

Anna picked up the picture with a small smile, "I gave this to him years ago. He never told me he lost it."

"I will not march out there and tell everyone what I know your husband is, but I want answers, Anna." Kaley said, staring Anna down.

Anna put the photo down, her own face smiling up at her from the plastic and paper and she nodded. "Alright."

XXXX

Raine hesitated outside of Genis's room door. Finally, after taking a deep breath, she pushed it open. Genis was still sleeping, but his breathing was much more even and his recovery much more likely. Raine walked to his side, lifting her staff.

She was still recovering herself, but she was a healer and she couldn't let herself heal without knowing that her little brother was okay. Her staff began to glow as she concentrated on healing, magic flowing from her body into the staff, and into Genis.

The door opened, and Raine heard a voice call her name just as she ended her spell. She stumbled, but strong arms caught her and lowered her into a chair. Once she was settled, Zelos immediately began to lecture her, "That was stupid! You're still recovering!"

Raine took a deep breath, but said nothing.

"Stay here." Zelos said, taking the healer's staff from her so she couldn't do any more magic. Raine was okay with that, though- she didn't think she could move, never mind heal. "I'm going to get Anna." Zelos left the room, and Raine took another deep breath.

XXXX

Lloyd pushed his way through the woods near the bridge. He knew enough about the Tower of Salvation to know that if he made it to the water, he could follow the river to the Tower. He wasn't sure what he planned to do when he got there, though. He couldn't stop Martel, never Martel, Yuan, AND his father. What he did know is that he couldn't stay in Sybak with the people he and his family had lied to for their entire lives. Not if they'd lost Colette.

He finally emerged on beachy ground and looked down at the river not too far from him. Following the river north with his eyes he saw that he was right- the Tower was in fact right next to the River. It was a ways away, stretching up into the sky endlessly, but he could see it.

Taking a deep breath he pushed on, determined to get as far as possible before he stopped.

XXXX

"Is he still moving?" Kratos asked Yuan through his communication device as he walked towards the Tower of Salvation from the teleport point by the Bridge.

"Yes. It seems he got a double dose of stubbornness from you and Anna." Yuan replied, "He's a good hour's walk ahead of you and doesn't seem to show signs of stopping any time soon."

Kratos sighed, "How's Martel?" he asked, glancing around before pulling his wings out to increase his speed.

"She's fine. Mithos is sleeping off the rest of the adjustment to Colette's body and Martel is cleaning the machinery out of the seal room." Yuan said.

"And how's the seed?" Kratos asked.

"Alive for now." Yuan answered, "Mithos will need to use the sword and get it germinated as soon as he wakes up, though. Without feeding off his mana, it could die at any time."

Kratos frowned, "Any idea how long it has?"

"If someone feeds it some of their mana every day, we can probably sustain it for a month, two months tops." Yuan said, "I just hope it doesn't come to that."

Kratos nodded, "Same. Okay, I'll call you when I catch up with Lloyd."

"Alright."

Kratos put his communication device away and increased his speed, taking off down the river to catch up with his son.

* * *

And here ends a chapter that doesn't seem to have a point but actually has two. One's plot related, the other's not. XD

This actually introduces the next part of the plotline. I won't say what it is, but I promise it's there.

And the not plot related reason for this chapter is that I finally posted the side story! It's called Fortune's Fate, and you can find it on my profile. Lemme know what you think. As it goes on, I think it'll answer a lot of questions. The whole Kaley-picks-up-photo thing is going to be in there. =D

It is really weird writing Kaley when she's older, though. She, Amia, and Collin really grow up a lot from the beginning of Fortune's Fate.

Oh well. Drop me a review and lemme know what you thought!


	33. Fluctuation

Raine's eyes flew open. She didn't remember falling asleep, especially not in a bed.

"Are you stupid?" Anna snapped at her, walking over. She was holding Raine's staff in her hands, "You could have killed yourself! I shouldn't have asked Kratos to repair it for you!"

Raine winced and looked over at the brown-haired woman. Anna was putting Raine's staff in the corner, out of Raine's reach and where she wouldn't snap it in half on her own accord. "How's Genis?"

Anna sighed, "He's fine, Raine." She said, walking back over to Raine's bedside, "I was taking care of him."

Raine glanced away.

Anna sighed, sitting down in the chair next to Raine's bed, "Raine, I managed to keep Lloyd alive all these years, didn't I? I think I can handle keeping Genis alive until you're better."

Raine squeezed her eyes shut, "But he was so hurt… I couldn't bear to see him like that."

"I know." Anna sighed, "When I found you all at the bridge, I felt the same way." She put a hand on Raine's shoulder, "But Genis is fine, and you need to focus on recovering now, okay? You almost completely depleted your body's mana supply. Just sleep. I'm taking care of Genis.

"Thank you…" Raine muttered as she drifted back into sleep.

XXXX

"Kratos, he's stopped." Yuan said into the communicator in front of him.

"Good. How far?" Kratos's voice replied, and Yuan looked up at the screen.

"Half hour, south." He answered quickly.

"Thanks."

Yuan shut the communicator and sunk down into a chair. He was exhausted—though angels didn't need sleep, they could still work themselves to exhaustion without rest, and between sending updates to Kratos, reviving Mithos, making sure the seed didn't run out of mana, and sending medical advice to Anna (really, he wasn't a doctor, why was she even ASKING him), Yuan was at his limit.

He glanced over at the door as the sound of it unlocking could be heard, and Martel walked in. She yawned, rubbing her eyes, and Yuan couldn't help but smile. Her normally neat green hair was disheveled, probably from sleeping, and she had thrown slippers on instead of her shoes.

"You alright there?" he asked, still smiling a little.

Martel nodded, sitting down next to him, "Mhmm… How's the seed?"

"The mana level's steadily dropping." Yuan said, pulling up the program he'd been using to monitor it, "I was going to go feed it in a minute."

"There will be no need for that."

Yuan and Martel looked over at the door to see Colette's body standing there. It was Colette's body, but Colette's previously waist-length locks had been chopped at the shoulders.

"Mithos!" Martel said, "Your hair…"

Mithos tugged on Colette's hair a little bit. "It was practically choking me when I woke up."

Martel glanced at her own long hair, "Well, when you're not used to it…"

"This is more like how long my hair was anyway." Mithos shrugged, as if cutting the hair Colette had worked to grow that long was no big deal.

"How are you feeling?" Martel changed the subject.

"I'm fine." He smiled at her.

Yuan looked away from Mithos. He was still having trouble not seeing Colette.

"Why don't I need to feed the seed, Mithos?" Yuan asked, as he watched the mana meter on the screen continue to slowly but steadily fall.

"Because. The seed can die for all I care, and take all those stupid humans with it."

"Mithos!" Martel said, surprised, "Don't say things like that! That's horrible!"

Mithos winced, "Sorry, Martel… Guess I got a little out of it there…" he said, "Go ahead, Yuan."

As Yuan stood up to leave the room, he couldn't help but think that there was something about the way Mithos had spoken that made Yuan feel like it wasn't a mistake.

XXXX

"Well, this is definitely not how I expected this day to turn out."

Lloyd forced his eyes open and looked up at a dark, star-littered sky.

"Camping out with a half-dead guy, you mean?"

He glanced over to see that he was laying near a fire, and two men, one in blue and one in red, were sitting on the other side of it.

"Finding a half-dead guy, actually."

"I'm not dead." Lloyd said, pushing himself up. Both men glanced over at him. They were of similar stature, and had the same black hair and eyes, probably brothers.

"Well, good." The red-clad one said, "Not sure what I'd do if you had done from half-dead to fully-dead."

"Run for your life, most likely." The blue one rolled his eyes.

Red glared.

"How are you feeling?" Blue asked Lloyd, "You were passed out on the beach when we found you."

Lloyd frowned, guessing he'd finally exhausted himself and collapsed or something- he didn't remember it. "I'm fine. Thanks for helping me."

"No problem." Blue smiled, "But you're not going anywhere. You should rest for the night."

"But I need to-"

"It's one night, and you'll feel better in the morning." Red said, glancing over, "Don't make me knock you out or something so you'll rest."

Lloyd blinked. "Alright…"

"Good." Red nodded, turning back to the fire and poking it with a long stick.

"And what do you plan to do if that sets on fire?" Blue raised an eyebrow at his brother, who shrugged.

Lloyd smiled a little and put his hands in his pockets. It was a little chilly. He felt something crinkle and blinked, pulling it out. A note.

_Lloyd, when you're rested, keep walking. I'll meet up with you and fill you in. –Kratos._

XXXX

"And your left arm?" Anna spoke to Genis, who carefully stretched out his left arm.

"Better!" The silver-haired boy grinned.

Anna smiled, "Good. Why don't you go find Sheena and Zelos? They're down the hall in the sitting room. I'm gonna check on your sister."

Genis nodded and smiled, hopping off the bed and leaving the room. Anna sighed a little—Raine's little suicide act had done some good—with the exception of a still-broken right arm, Genis was completely healed.

Raine, on the other hand, wasn't. She hadn't woken up again since Anna had berated her (and Anna was feeling bad enough about that as it was) and her mana levels kept fluctuating, something Anna didn't know how to fix. She'd called into Yuan about it, but the blue-haired angel had told her nothing of any practical use.

Honestly, Anna had a feeling that the only one nearby who knew how to steady Raine's mana level was Raine, and the healer was quite out of commission and unable to heal herself at the moment.

Anna stepped into Raine's room to see Zelos's blonde stepmother standing next to her. She spoke, surprised, "Kaley?"

Kaley looked up, "Hello."

Anna checked Raine, cursing softly under her breath.

"Her mana level?" Kaley guessed.

"Yeah." Anna nodded, "Until it steadies, Raine's not going to be able to gain it back. All the orange gels in the world won't help her unless her body gets her mana back in sync with everything else."

Kaley nodded with a frown.

"Any ideas?" Anna asked, a little hopeful that the scientist would know something, anything, about fixing mana fluctuation.

Kaley glanced at her, "Only one, and it's a little… last-resortish."

"Well, I don't have any useable ideas at this point, so let's hear it."

Kaley nodded, "My father is a doctor. He lives in Flanoir, but if you were to go up there with a letter from me, he'd come back with you to treat her here. I have no idea if he's going to be able to help, but…"

"It's better than any idea I've got." Anna said, "Thank you, Kaley. If her mana levels haven't steadied by the morning, I'll see about heading to Flanoir."

"Not alone, I hope." Kaley crossed her arms.

"I can move the fastest-"

"And you'll explain that how?" Kaley asked, "A trip to Flanoir means going to the port at the bridge and taking a ship to the mainland ice continent, then, at this time of year, walking through the ice and snow for three days." She explained, "Making it there and back in two days will just make everyone suspicious."

Anna frowned, "Can she hold on for the month it'll take to get there and back the normal way, though?" she asked Kaley.

"Not like this." Kaley said, "But I'm going back to Meltokio in a few days. I can take a caravan instead of walking and bring her to the hospital there. I know for a fact none of them know anything about mana fluctuation, but they can at least keep her alive."

"But she's-"

"I have a close friend who will treat her." Kaley said, "No one will know."

"I'm trusting you with this, Kaley. No one can find out." Anna warned.

"I know." Kaley said, "Collin and Amia will help as well. We'll keep her secret and secret and keep her alive until you get back from Flanoir."

Anna hugged the blonde, "Kaley, thank you. You really don't have to do any of this, especially not after everything my husband and Cruxis have put you through."

Kaley smiled, "You gave Collin and I Zelos, didn't you?" she said, "He may not be my own child, but he's still my son. I'm indebted to Cruxis for that."

"That's one way to look at it, I guess." Anna said, "I'll go talk to Zelos, Sheena, and Genis. Thank you again, Kaley."

"You're very welcome." Kaley smiled.

XXXX

"Flanoir? But to get there and back could take a month!" Sheena said, surprised.

"I know, Kaley told me." Anna frowned, "But Raine needs this doctor, guys. I'm not healer. Kaley's gonna take care of her until we get back."

"I'm coming." Genis said, "She's my sister, and she hurt herself healing me."

Anna smiled at him.

"I'll come." Zelos shrugged, "If gets me out of this class Kaley's trying to get me to take, then I'm definitely in."

Anna chuckled, "Sheena?"

Sheena nodded, "Okay. What about Lloyd?"

Anna frowned- she couldn't exactly tell them that Kratos had called her with a communicator to say that he'd found Lloyd. "Lloyd can take care of himself." She finally said, "Kratos said he'd look for him, so I know he'll be fine."

Sheena nodded, apparently accepting this answer, "When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning."

XXXX

After one night of rest with the two men (Kuchinawa and Orochi, Lloyd learned, not Blue and Red), they separated, Lloyd continuing south and Kuchinawa and Orochi followed the water north. Lloyd walked in silence, knowing his father would show himself soon enough.

As thought, Kratos landed on the ground next to his son a few minutes later.

"It's already happened, hasn't it?" Lloyd asked.

Kratos nodded, confirming Lloyd's fear, "Yesterday."

Lloyd sighed, clenching his hands, "Dad, she… she didn't deserve to die!"

"I'm sorry, Lloyd…"

Lloyd turned away from him.

"Lloyd, I can either take you to Derris Kharlan-"

Lloyd cut his father off, "No. Hell no. Not now."

"Or we can meet up with your mother and the others in Flanoir." Kratos finished.

"Flanoir? Why Flanoir?" Lloyd asked.

"Raine is too hurt for Anna to heal without help. They're going to enlist the help of the doctor up there." Kratos explained, "If we continue to head south, we'll hit a much less-traveled port that can take us to Flanoir. We'll probably arrive a little before them, as we've had a head start."

"But Flanoir is where…"

"Yes, I know." Kratos said.

"Alright." Lloyd nodded, "Flanoir it is, then."

Kratos put a hand on his son's head, and the two started walking again.

* * *

Wow, I like that so much more than the first time I wrote it. Yay plot advancement!

So, I was writing the Mithos/Martel/Yuan scene up there when this popped into my head:

Yuan: Where did you get scissors?

Mithos: I didn't. I used a knife.

Yuan: Where did you get a knife?

Mithos: Kitchen.

Martel: We have a kitchen?

Yuan: Explains why it's all uneven, I guess.

Mithos: Are you implying you'd like to fix it for me?

Yuan: I'm not a housewife.

Mithos: *chuckling* You sure about that?

Yuan: *glares*

Martel: *giggling*

And, of course, since I'm me, this spawned an idea for a Kharlan War-time prequel.

I want your opinion, faithful Fated followers. (Yay alliteration!)

Do you think a prequel is a good idea? It wouldn't be out until the summer, probably, as I'll have time then. Do you guys even want a prequel? Do you hate my guts for suggesting it? Tell me in a review or a PM, please, or I'll make my own decision and you all may hate it.

See you all soon!


	34. Snow

When Anna, Sheena, Genis, and Zelos set out for Flanoir, Anna had high hopes that she would spend less time reeling in children this time around. After all, Zelos and Sheena were adults.

"You know, Anna, you're pretty sexy for a woman who's popped out a kid."

Five minutes later, she knew that wasn't going to happen.

"Thanks, I think." Anna said, rolling her eyes at Zelos, who seemed content to follow behind everyone else. Sheena was looking through a book she'd borrowed from Kaley, and barely paying attention to where she was going. (She'd gotten quite good at reading-and-walking while on the Sylvarant journey.) Genis was kind of distracted, without Colette and Lloyd to keep the spirits up.

Anna sighed, "Okay, guys." She clapped her hands together, "This whole dwelling in depression thing will make this month-long journey excruciating for all of us. So, for the next two weeks, we're going to pretend everything is happy dandy."

Sheena raised an eyebrow, shutting her book, "And how are we supposed to do that? Cruxis has Colette and Raine's dying."

"That's why I said we're going to pretend." Anna said, snatching the book from her, "So no more reading depressing books about…" she paused to look at the cover, "What the heck is anthropology?"

Sheena rolled her eyes, "It's a science. My mom suggested I look into it."

"Well, science is depressing." Anna put the book in her bag, "So it's officially on my banned-topics list."

Sheena chuckled, "Don't let my mom hear that."

"Or Kaley." Zelos added.

Sheena grinned at him, "She'd freak. Your dad too."

Anna smiled, glad she was getting positive reactions out of someone. She turned to Genis, "You alright?"

Genis shrugged, "Guess so."

"Well, stop worrying." Anna patted him on the head, "Your sister's gonna be fine."

Genis sighed, "It's not just Raine. I'm worried about Lloyd and Colette too."

"Well, Lloyd is fine as well." Anna said, "He's more than capable of taking care of himself, and Kratos said he'd look for him."

"And Colette?" Genis asked.

Anna frowned, "Genis…"

Genis looked away from her.

Anna crossed her arms, "I ban that too."

"What?" Genis asked.

"Worrying." Anna said, "If you worry, you won't be able to focus on the task at hand. The best thing to do is to keep trekking forward to try and help them." She offered Genis a small smile.

Genis smiled back, "Thanks, Anna…"

"No problem." Anna said, "Now come on. We have a lot of walking ahead of us."

XXXX

"I hate this continent." Lloyd grumbled to himself as he and his father walked towards Flanoir. They were about a half a day's walk from the city, and Kratos was so tired of the snow he was considering just grabbing his son and flying the rest of the way. The fact that they were in Flanoir didn't help him dissuade that idea.

"We're almost there, Lloyd." Kratos said.

Lloyd sighed, "But we're not there YET." He said, kicking some snow away from him.

Kratos sighed, muttering something under his breath and pulling his wings out, grabbing his son and taking off. Lloyd managed to stifle a shout, and then grinned, glad he was out of the snow.

With Kratos flying, they made it within sight of the city in less than an hour. Kratos put them down far enough away that they wouldn't be spotted and they kept walking, making it inside the city walls less than an hour after that.

"Let's get rooms in the Inn. If my estimation is correct, your mother will be arriving tomorrow evening." Kratos said.

Lloyd nodded, heading towards the Inn that wasn't far from the city gate, but a voice stopped him.

"Kratos, I need to talk to you."

Lloyd turned to see Yuan standing behind them. Kratos frowned and handed his son the money, "Go get the rooms. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Lloyd nodded, walking into the Inn.

"What's wrong?" Kratos asked, "If you couldn't say it over the communicator, it must be…"

"I don't think Mithos has any intention to revive the tree." Yuan said, "I don't want to tell Martel- she just got Mithos back. Maybe he's still too weak from the transfer, I don't know, but I can't keep it alive much longer by just feeding it."

Kratos nodded, "I'll tell Anna when she arrives and slip away to come back up and try and convince him as soon as I can."

Yuan nodded back, "Thanks. I really hope I'm just misunderstanding this whole situation."

"Me too." Kratos agreed. He paused for a minute. "Yuan, who's covering for you at the school in Iselia?"

"No one." Yuan said, "They're on winter break, so I said I was going to visit family. I have to be back there next week."

Kratos nodded, "I'll make sure I'm available to be on Derris Kharlan, then."

"Thanks." Yuan nodded, "See you later." He disappeared down an alley, and Kratos headed into the Inn. Lloyd walked over, holding four keys.

"Why four?" Kratos asked, "Can't you, Genis, and Zelos share a room?"

"Yeah, but I figured I'd avoid the whining." Lloyd shrugged.

Kratos nodded, "Alright." He took three of the keys, "Go get some rest. I need to stock back up on supplies."

XXXX

"Anna, are you okay?" Sheena asked, "You've been in a bad mood since we docked."

Anna turned to Sheena, "Oh, I'm fine." She said, "I just hate the snow."

"I liked it at first, but it got tiring really fast." Genis said, frowning, "I don't think I can feel my feet."

Zelos picked him up, putting the half elf on his shoulders, "I'll carry you for a little while, but don't think this is going to be a regular thing."

Anna smiled- growing up with a little sister had made Zelos really good with kids, it seemed.

"Thanks, Zelos." Genis grinned. Zelos just kept walking.

"How much farther?" Sheena asked Anna, who looked at the piece of paper in her hand on which she'd been marking the amount of time spent walking each day.

"Only a couple of hours, hopefully." Anna said, "And hopefully there will be room in front of a very warm fire for me to just sit and relax."

Sheena laughed, "That'd definitely be nice."

"I'm afraid that won't be happening."

Anna's eyes widened and she froze in place, recognizing the voice as Kvar stepped into view.

"Shit." Anna mumbled, grabbing her communicator in her bag and flipping it open, but not taking it out.

"I think you know how this is going to go, Anna." Kvar said, "You're going to come with me and give me that gem on your chest."

"Gem?" Zelos asked, surprised, not recognizing the man. Genis and Sheena, however, recognized Kvar perfectly, and remembered what he had done to Lloyd. There was no way they were letting Anna go with him.

"Haven't you done enough to me and my family?" Anna asked, stepping in front of Zelos and Sheena and slipping her hand into the holster where she kept her katar.

Kvar laughed, his annoying, squeaky laugh, and Anna took that opportunity to grab her katar and shout a tech, slamming him backwards.

"Zelos, Sheena, take Genis and run to Flanoir. Don't stop, no matter what." Anna hissed.

"But what about you?" Sheena asked, shocked.

"I'll be FINE. Run!" Anna shouted, charging towards Kvar, charging her katar up for another tech.

"I think she has a point." Zelos said, slipping Genis down into a piggyback so he could run, "Come on, Sheena."

"But, that's the guy that hurt Lloyd!" Genis said.

Sheena took a deep breath, "If we all die here, Genis, we can't save Raine or Colette. We need to go."

Genis didn't look happy about it, but he didn't have a choice as Sheena and Zelos took off for Flanoir, leaving Anna fighting what might be a hopeless battle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Please don't kill me. I'll get the next one out soon.

Lemme know what you think!


	35. Gem

"Anna?" Yuan raised an eyebrow, looking at the blinking light on the console that indicated Anna was trying to call him. What confused him, however, was that Anna had been traveling with Sheena, Zelos, and Genis for the past week, and there was no way she'd been able to get away to call him. He hit the button. "Anna, are you there?"

No specific answer, just words that he had to strain himself to understand.

_"You're gonna come with me and give me that little gem on your chest."_

Yuan cursed, keeping Anna's signal up and calling Kratos. It took a minute, but the man answered, _"Yes?"_

"It's Kvar. He's got Anna. I'm locating her now, but she-"

_"I'll be FINE. Run!"_

He cursed again, "She needs help."

Yuan could hear Kratos running, and focused on locating Anna's signal. Soon enough, the orange light that signified her position was blinking on the map in front of him.

"Keep heading south. She's not far." Yuan said.

_"Thanks."_

Anna's scream filled the air, and Yuan cursed again, "I'm teleporting down now." he said, shutting off Anna and Kratos's communication lines and flying towards the exit.

XXXX

"Just tell me where it is, Anna, and I'll let you go. I won't even hurt your poor little son."

Anna cursed, backing up away from Kvar, who was advancing on her much quicker than she could get away. Her katar was lying in the snow, knocked far out of her reach when she was forced to drop it to keep from getting shocked by Kvar's stupid lightning. She still couldn't feel her right arm; it was hanging limp at her side. The front of her tunic was torn by the half-elf's sword, displaying a red, gleaming crystal and scars lining the skin around it.

"Where IS IT?" Kvar snapped at her, getting angry, "Where is the exsphere?"

"I tossed that thing at the first chance I got!" Anna shouted back at him, hoping he'd give up and leave but knowing that wouldn't happen.

"You're lying!" Kvar shouted, "How did you get it off? Where did you hide it?"

"I'm going to give you a suggestion." Another voice spoke up. Kvar cursed as Yuan came into view. The blue-haired half elf draped his cape over Anna's shoulders, and the very-grateful woman wrapped it around herself to cover herself. "You leave and promise to leave the Aurion family alone, and then I won't kill you."

"I don't think so." Kvar held his sword out, it sparking with lightning.

Yuan smirked, "Fine then. I'll enjoy this." he held his hand in the air, summoning his two-bladed weapon and sparking it with lightning as well, "I was a lightning mage long before you were born." He turned to Anna, "Kratos is on his way. Hold tight."

"Thank you." Anna said, feeling minutes off from collapsing. She was holding Yuan's cape shut around her with her left hand, and she still couldn't feel her right arm at all.

Yuan nodded, and held a hand out, sending a blast of lightning magic at Kvar. He didn't get a chance to do much more, however, as a fire blast came out of the snow and blasted Kvar in the back of the head, setting what little hair he had on fire. While he was distracted by trying to put his hair out, Kratos landed next to his wife.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Anna nodded, relieved that Yuan and Kratos had shown up so quickly, "I'm fine. But he knows I don't have the exsphere."

Kratos nodded, "It's alright. As long as you're okay, we can handle the rest. Can you fly?"

"Probably." Anna nodded.

"Go to Flanoir. Yuan and I will finish up here and catch up." Kratos said.

"But-"

"No buts." Kratos said, "I'll feel better once you're out of danger, Anna, and you need to see a healer."

"I can heal myself as soon as the feeling comes back in my arm." Anna insisted, "Let me stay here and help. What if something goes wrong?"

There wasn't any more time to argue, though, as Kvar's head was no longer on fire and he was pissed. "You STUPID inferior beings! I won't forget this!"

Kratos drew his sword, shouting at Anna to fly away one last time before he and Yuan converged on Kvar, but the man ran too fast for them and they quickly lost him in the snow. Backtracking to where they'd left Anna, Kratos quickly checked to make sure she didn't have any pressing injuries he didn't know about.

"I should head back." Yuan said, "You need any help getting to Flanoir?" he asked Kratos and Anna.

Anna shook her head, "We're fine. Thank you, Yuan." she handed the blue-haired man his cape back, holding her tunic shut with her hand.

"You can hold onto it." Yuan said.

"The others will just ask where I got it." Anna shook her head.

Yuan nodded, taking the cape and hooking it on, "Call when you've got things worked out." he told the both of them.

Kratos nodded and Yuan left. Kratos scooped his wife up bridal style, eliciting a quite surprised squeak from her mouth. "Kratos?"

"Just stay still." Kratos said, flying into the air.

"I'm perfectly capable of-"

Kratos rolled his eyes and ignored her, flying towards Flanoir with his wife safely in his arms.

XXXX

"Lloyd?" Sheena asked surprised as she spotted the brown haired boy standing by the Inn as she and Zelos ran into Flanoir. Genis was still on Zelos's back, but as soon as he saw Lloyd he squirmed his way out of the redhead's grip and ran over, practically pouncing on him.

"Genis!" Lloyd said, surprised, "You're okay!" he looked up at Sheena and Zelos, "Hey..."

"Lloyd, your mom!" Sheena shouted, "We ran into Kvar; she's back there fighting by herself!"

Lloyd's eyes widened- that was why his dad had taken off without a word so quickly. "Shit! We have to go help her!"

"We can't." Zelos said, "We need to get that doctor and get back to Raine."

"What?" Lloyd feigned ignorance, "What happened?"

Sheena, Zelos, and Genis quickly explained everything that had happened since Lloyd had left Sybak, in much more detail than his father had been able to.

"Sheena, Genis, you two head to the Inn." Zelos said, "I'll go talk to the doctor."

"I'll go with you." Lloyd said, still worried about his mother, but he knew that his father could take care of it. They'd show up any minute.

Zelos nodded. Lloyd turned to Sheena and Genis, handing them two of the keys he was holding. "Genis is in the room I'm in, and Sheena, you've got your own."

"What?" Sheena asked, surprised, "How did you know we were coming?"

"I didn't." Lloyd lied, "My dad said we'd probably need a couple extra rooms."

"Kratos is here too?" Sheena asked, "Where'd he go?"

"Hell if I know." Lloyd said, "He took off running all the sudden."

"Maybe he went after Anna?" Sheena asked, hopefully.

Lloyd nodded, "Maybe. Go get comfortable, we'll be back in a bit."

Sheena nodded, giving him a quick hug and then hurrying to the Inn with Genis. Lloyd turned to Zelos, tossing over the final key, "You've got your own room too."

"Sweet, thanks." Zelos nodded, "Let's go see that doctor."

Lloyd nodded.

* * *

Wheee, all finished. Never expect updates to come as fast as they just did. I was just as eager to write what happened next as you were to read it, so I put aside everything I was supposed to do today and sat down to write this. Don't get too used to it. XD

Anyway, drop me a review and lemme know what you thought. Some stuff will be explained next chapter, mostly about Anna and Kvar and all that.


	36. Cards

"Hey, gramps!" Zelos called into the small doctor's office, leading Lloyd through the front door. An older, human man pulled himself out of a chair and walked over.

"Zelos!" he said, wrapping the redhead (who only looked slightly uncomfortable with the situation) in a hug. "It's been a long time!"

"Yeah, definitely." Zelos said, "How have you been?"

"I've been alright, I suppose." The man shrugged, "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Lloyd Aurion." Zelos glanced at Lloyd.

"It's nice to meet you, sir." Lloyd said.

"You as well." The doctor nodded, "So, what brings you to Flanoir?"

Zelos's smile fell a little, and he pulled out Kaley's letter, handing it over. The doctor took it, a little confused, and ripped it open, reading it with a frown set on his face. When he finally looked up after reading it, Zelos spoke. "Do you think you can help?"

"Of course I can." The doctor said, "When are we leaving?"

Lloyd smiled, relieved, and answered for Zelos, "In the morning. We all need to rest tonight."

The doctor nodded, "Perfectly understandable. I'll be ready first thing."

"Thanks, gramps." Zelos smiled.

XXXX

Kratos and Anna walked into the Inn a little bit later (Anna had insisted on walking once they were in the city, instead of having Kratos carry her the entire way. Had she not just been attacked, she probably would have taken the lazy route and let him do all the hard work.) and were immediately assaulted by Genis and Sheena, who buzzed around them, demanding to know if they were okay.

"We're both fine!" Anna laughed, "I just need to change my tunic. Do you two have my bag?"

Sheena nodded, "It's upstairs. Come on, I'll take you up there."

Anna smiled gratefully at her and followed the ninja up the stairs. Genis looked over at Kratos.

"Is something wrong?" Kratos asked.

Genis shook his head, "No, it's just… you and Lloyd coincidentally decided to come here and just happened to know you need extra rooms in the Inn?" he asked.

Kratos sighed; Lloyd was a terrible liar. It was a miracle the family hadn't been outed as having wings Kratos.

"Is something wrong?" Kratos asked.

Genis shook his head, "No, it's just… you and Lloyd coincidentally decided to come here and just happened to know you need extra rooms in the Inn?" he asked.

Kratos sighed; Lloyd was a terrible liar. It was a miracle the family hadn't been outed as having wings yet.

"How'd you know we were coming?" Genis asked.

"Anna got a message to me through Mara." Kratos said, "Mara was able to pass the message onto me."

Genis's eyes widened, "B-but… Mara's an enemy—she's with Cruxis! She's one of the people who took Colette!"

"Mara was a family friend long before she became an enemy." Kratos said, "And Anna made it very clear with her that she wasn't pleased with her behavior. It was just the only way she knew to send the message to me."

Genis didn't look convinced, "But… what about Colette?"

"Mara is not one of the angels tasked with Colette's fate. She's just as eager to find out if she's okay as we are." Kratos lied.

Genis frowned, "I'm so worried about her, and I feel bad not doing anything about it."

"We have to focus on what we can right now, Genis, and that's healing your sister. We'll figure out what to do about Colette after that." Kratos said.

"But what if it's too late?" Genis asked.

Kratos didn't have an answer for him. After all, it already was.

XXXX

Lloyd and Zelos walked back into the Inn to find Anna and Kratos sitting by the fire.

"Mom!" Lloyd said, relieved.

Anna jumped up, running over and pulling Lloyd into a hug, holding him tightly.

"What did the doctor say?" Kratos asked Zelos, strolling up behind his wife, as the woman launched into a lecture about running off without letting go of her son.

"He agreed to come with us. Lloyd told him we're leaving tomorrow morning."

Kratos nodded, "Good."

XXXX

"You know what's weird?" Zelos asked Sheena as he and his friend sat on either side of a table, playing cards.

Sheena glanced at him, "Hmm?" she asked, pulling two cards from the stack and putting four down.

"I was only supposed to escort you guys to Sybak and back." Zelos said, pulling a card from the pile, "We're in Flanoir."

Sheena chuckled, playing a card from her hand, "We took a massive detour."

Zelos laughed.

"Hey," Lloyd greeted as he walked in.

"Hi, Lloyd." Sheena smiled.

"What are you playing?" Lloyd asked.

"Not a clue." Sheena shrugged, "We used to play this all the time as kids, but we never established the rules."

"Goal seems to be 'get all the cards from the deck into a pile', though." Zelos said, tossing down a card as Sheena nodded in agreement.

Lloyd blinked.

"Is your mom okay?" Sheena asked, changing the subject.

He nodded, "I think so."

"Kvar seems to have a grudge against you when he had kidnapped us… Did that have to do with your mom?" Sheena asked, frowning.

Lloyd pulled up a chair, nodding, "My mom was a prisoner of his for awhile when I was younger. Dad and I had to save her but while she was there, she gave him hell." He explained, "He's still pissed about it."

"Oh…" Sheena nodded, putting a card down and picking one up.

"Yeah." Lloyd said, "Dad's ready to kill Kvar, but Mom's okay, at least."

Sheena glanced at him, smiling, then looked back at Zelos, "Zelos! Stop cheating!"

"How do we even know what cheating is in this game?" Zelos asked, "We don't even know the rules!"

XXXX

"I'm glad everything worked out." Martel smiled, relieved, as Yuan filled her in on what had happened with Kvar.

"Yeah." Yuan nodded, smiling as well.

"I'll increase the search for the Renegades." Martel said, "We'll catch Kvar."

"Alright." Yuan nodded, "If I didn't have to get back to Iselia so soon, I'd search myself, but-"

Martel smiled again, "Don't worry about it."

Yuan smiled back at her, "Where's Mithos?"

Martel's smile fell, "I'm not sure. He's been tired… I hope Colette's body's not rejecting him."

"If her body rejected him, the fusion wouldn't have worked in the first place." Yuan reminded her.

"Yeah, you're right." She stood up.

"I should go check the tree." Yuan said, standing up as well.

"And I should find Mithos." She smiled up at her longtime friend, "Thanks, Yuan." She said, leaning up and giving him a kiss on the cheek before spreading her green wings and flying away to find her brother.

* * *

I have no excuse.

I just have NO excuse.

The last time I updated Fated was in June. Since June, I got a job, started one of the most stressful college semesters of my life, and spent my first birthday away from my family.

The only one of these that could be an excuse isn't listed. I had a lot of trouble keeping my mind in one place to write a single chapter of ANYTHING this semester. I have bits and pieces of chapters EVERYWHERE now that I'm on break, and I've devoted myself to actually piecing them together now.

But, the good news is, I went through and outlined this entire story to chapter 52, which should make it easier to write. By chapter 52, we will have the entire party together, and be well into our next big plotline.

The next chapter is half written, and would've been completely written except that I wanted to get this out before midnight in California. (What? No, I live on the East Coast, it's a long story.)

But, long description compacted: I'm really sorry this took so long.

Next chapter on the 8th. I PROMISE.

If not, Kelly and Jasmine are welcome to kill me.

(Speaking of Jasmine. If you haven't already, you should all go check her out. She's my roommate, and she wrote this massive fanfic for NaNoWriMo, about if Lloyd and Sheena were the Chosens. It's incredibly well thought out. Her penname is "iwasnthere622", and there's a link on my profile. (Or will be in a few moments.)

Now, to the sound of obnoxiously loud fireworks in my neighbor's yard (that are only obnoxious 'cause I can't be out there shooting them off myself), I shall go to sleep.

Happy New Year, everyone! See you on the 8th.


	37. Storm

"Can someone please tell me why we're up before the sun?" Zelos whined as he was dragged out of his room by Anna, who didn't look any more pleased to be awake than he was.

"There's a large snowstorm coming in later this morning." Kratos answered, as he slipped the spare key the owner of the Inn had given him into his son's room door to wake him up. "I want to be clear of Flanoir before it hits."

"But it's gonna take three days to walk to the dock." Zelos said, "We'll get caught in it either way."

"I found us transportation to the docks. We'll be there by the end of the day." Kratos said, entering Lloyd's room.

Zelos's eyes widened, "Wait, does that mean we don't have to walk in the snow?" he grinned.

Sheena smacked him, "You'll wake up the entire Inn!"

"Sorry." Zelos mumbled.

"They've got food set out for us downstairs." Anna said, yawning, "Go eat up, we're leaving as soon as we can get Lloyd out of bed."

Sheena and Zelos nodded, heading down the stairs together. Sure enough, there was food laid out, though the people that had made it were nowhere to be seen (likely fast asleep. Zelos didn't blame them.)

Sheena plopped down at the table, yawning, "I hope whatever this transportation is, it doesn't involve us doing anything."

Zelos laughed, "Well, it can't have wheels." He said, "It'd get stuck in the snow."

Sheena absentmindedly played with her fork, deep in thought, "Sled dogs, maybe?"

"Is there a sled big enough to hold all of us?" Zelos asked.

Sheena glared at him, fork in her mouth, "Stop shooting all my ideas down."

Zelos laughed.

"Maybe they attached a huge sled to Noishe, or something." Sheena shrugged.

Zelos just rolled his eyes, "And now you're thinking too hard."

"Well, whatever it is, if I have a warm blanket and I don't have to walk, I'm not going to complain." Sheena shrugged.

"I second that." Zelos laughed.

There was a sudden crash from upstairs and both Tethe'allans turned to the stairs, only slightly startled.

"Anna just got Lloyd up." Sheena laughed.

"Poor kid." Zelos shrugged.

XXXX

Less than an hour later (and still long before the sun made its way over the mountains in the distance) the group had picked up the doctor, and were on their way to the docks.

"I thought you said you had transportation for us." Zelos said, shivering.

"We're meeting them a little ways out of the city." Kratos said, "It's going to be a bit of a tight fit, but it'll be faster."

"Oh no, he DID get a sled and attach it to Noishe." Sheena sighed.

"What?" Kratos glanced back.

Sheena flushed, "Nothing!"

Kratos raised an eyebrow, but continued to walk, as Sheena fell silent. Anna giggled.

They met their transportation just a little ways further. It was a caravan, similar to those seen all the time on the mainland of Tethe'alla, except that instead of having wheels, it had skis, so that it could move quickly and efficiently across the snow. It was powered by magitechnology, so there were no animals in sight to pull it across the snow.

"Climb in." Kratos said, pulling the hatch on the back open. The kids scrambled into the back, Anna and the doctor right behind them, and Kratos shut it, walking around to the front, where the driver was already sitting.

Moments later, they were off, sailing across the snow at speeds they'd never have been able to achieve on their own.

XXXX

True to Kratos's word, they made it to the dock before the sun set. They hadn't run into the storm, but if the ominous clouds in the distance meant anything, the storm was currently hitting Flanoir. The ferry to the Meltokio shore was less crowded than when Anna, Zelos, Sheena, and Genis had taken it the first time.

Sheena managed to steal her science book back from Anna while the older woman was distracted by the fact that they were FINALLY out of Flanoir. (Sheena had never seen anyone hate a continent that much, but seeing as Kvar was there, she supposed she couldn't blame her.) She settled herself inside of the ship, curled up under a blanket with the book, flipping through the pages.

She was so engrossed in the book that when Lloyd sat down next to her, she jumped and almost smacked him with it.

"Hey!" Lloyd put his hands up, laughing.

Sheena put a hand on her heart, trying to stop it from pounding, "Lloyd!"

"All I did was sit down." Lloyd laughed, "I didn't think you would freak out."

Sheena swatted at him, as Lloyd continued to laugh.

When they'd both calmed down, Lloyd spoke up again, "So, whatcha reading?" he asked, glancing at the title.

"It's a book on anthropology that Kaley suggested." Sheena said, "Your mom stole it from me when we left Sybak."

Lloyd chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds like mom." He shook his head.

"She was just trying to keep everyone's spirits up." Sheena said.

"Yeah." Lloyd frowned, "I know."

Sheena frowned as well, falling silent. Finally, after a few minutes of just sitting there, she spoke, "Lloyd."

Lloyd glanced at her.

"Do you think we'll be able to save Colette?" she asked.

Lloyd sighed, averting his eyes, "I hope so." He said, "But I don't know."

Sheena sighed as well, marking her page in her book and shutting it. "I hope so too. As soon as Raine's healed, we need to come up with a plan."

"Yeah." Lloyd said, "But I guess there's no point dwelling on it until we get there."

Sheena nodded, but the mood didn't lighten at all.

XXXX

The ship docked at the Meltokio pier two days later. The pier was really just an extension of the Bridge of the Spirits made to accommodate ships. The group had tried to rest on the ship, but with the ice storm catching up to them a few hours into the trip, it had been almost impossible. They had made record time getting from Flanoir to Meltokio in the winter, though: one week instead of two.

"Hey, Zelos?" Sheena glanced at her friend, who was hanging towards the back of the group as they followed the path to Meltokio.

"Yeah?" Zelos asked.

"Doesn't Mylene live around here?"

Zelos stiffened, "Yeah, I think so."

"Who's Mylene?" Genis asked, glancing up at Zelos and Sheena.

"She's my mother." Zelos said, "My birth mother, I mean."

"Oh!" Genis said.

"Do you want to go see her?" Anna asked, "You can always catch up with us later…"

"No." Zelos said, "I don't really wanna go anywhere near her." He shrugged.

Genis frowned, "But she's your mother."

"Kaley's my mother." Zelos said, "Mylene's just the woman who gave me hell when she still lived in the city."

He fell silent after that, refusing to explain any further.

Genis glanced at Sheena, starting to ask her, but Sheena just shook her head, "Zelos will tell you guys eventually." She said, "Just give him some time."

Genis nodded, "Okay."

"Thanks." Zelos said.

Anna, seeing an opening, suddenly shouted, "Ooh, bunnies!"

Kratos sighed, rubbing the side of his head as his wife chased after the brown and white rabbits a few feet in front of them. It wasn't the most orthodox method, but it had done as intended—the awkward air from when Mylene had been brought up was gone, replaced with more happiness than the group had felt in several weeks.

* * *

Oh, group-who-needs-a-better-name. Don't get too comfortable.

I wrote half this chapter before I posted the last one, and the other half today and the day before yesterday. Oh well, I got it done.

Not much happened this chapter, but I was barely able to make THIS happen. The action starts again next chapter, as we see the departure of two characters and a little more about Zelos's past. Plus Kaley, Collin, and Amia again! :D Maybe this'll make me work on Fortune's Fate a little.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! See you on the 15th. :D Promise.

(But that'll be the last weekly update, 'cause I go back to school after that.)


	38. Hospital

The group's arrival to Meltokio was a little muted—the high from Anna's insanity had run out as they approached the city. Right before they entered, Kratos pulled back from the rest of the group. "This is where I'll leave you." he said.

Lloyd turned, surprised, "What?"

"I was in the midst of a job when Anna contacted me to try and find Lloyd." Kratos glanced at his wife, "Now that you're all safely back in Meltokio, I should return to it."

Anna sighed, "I guess." She said, giving him a hug, "Just be careful."

"Of course." Kratos said, "I'll come back as soon as I'm finished."

Anna nodded, smiling. The group said their goodbyes and Kratos left, before they turned back towards Meltokio.

"I'll go ahead and get Kaley or my mom." Sheena said, "One of them should know where in the hospital Raine is. I'll meet you guys in front of the hospital."

"Okay." Anna said, "I'm gonna hope Zelos knows where the hospital is."

Zelos rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, I know where I'm going."

Sheena laughed, running into the city and up the stairs as Zelos led them down the street towards the hospital.

XXXX

Sheena knocked on the door to Zelos's house, shifting impatiently. Now that the doctor was in town and they could save Raine, she was anxious.

Sebastian opened the door, "Hello, Miss Sheena."

"Hey Sebastian." Sheena said, "Is Kaley here?"

"She's upstairs. Would you like me to get her?" Sebastian asked.

"I've got it. Thanks, Sebastian!" She bolted for the stairs, knocking on Kaley and Collin's bedroom door.

"Come in!" Kaley called. Sheena threw open the door. "Sheena?"

"Hey." Sheena said, "We got the doctor. Can you bring us to Raine?"

XXXX

"Oh my." Martel squeaked as her brother walked into the computer lab of Welgaia, where she and Yuan were sitting and talking. "What did you do?"

"Her other clothes were stuffy and everything else I found didn't fit right." Mithos shrugged.

"But the…" Martel stammered, "But…"

"I had no idea you were a fashion designer, Mithos." Yuan commented, not looking up from his book.

Mithos gave him a look that only served to look out of place on Colette's face.

Martel stood up, her chair clattering backwards onto the floor. "I'm supposed to be the only one that looks girly around here!" she said, before running out of the room.

Mithos blinked. "Umm, what?"

Yuan shut his book, "When you were wearing Colette's old clothes, she was able to mostly ignore the fact that her older brother was in the body of a teenage girl. Your altered look," he gestured to Mithos's new outfit, "does the opposite."

"Ah." Mithos said, rolling his eyes, "Aren't you supposed to be in Iselia?"

Yuan stood up, "I've got two more days." He said, heading after Martel.

He didn't notice Mithos giving him a dark stare as he left.

XXXX

Genis wasn't sure how long he'd been in the waiting room of the hospital, but it felt like forever. (It had only been about 18 hours.) Lloyd and Sheena kept trying to get him to calm down, but he was too worried about his sister to even try. Kaley and Anna were in the room with Raine and the doctor, but they hadn't heard anything about her condition yet.

"Lloyd, what does your dad do?" Sheena asked, trying to make conversation with someone. "I mean, you guys are from Sylvarant, but he said he had a job here."

"He's a mercenary." Lloyd answered, "So he can get work almost anywhere. He was always coming and going from Iselia 'cause he would take jobs that would mean he'd be gone for weeks at a time, but it's a pretty good living. I guess he's worried about money while we're out here or something." Lloyd shrugged, "Mom didn't seem surprised, so I guess she knew about it."

They were interrupted by Anna walking into the room. Genis ran over, "Is she okay?"

Anna smiled, looking tired, "She's fine. Her mana's steady."

Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief, and Sheena let out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding.

"Are you okay, mom?" Lloyd asked.

Anna smiled again, "I'm fine. A little tired."

"Can I go see Raine?" Genis asked.

"She wasn't awake when I left." Anna said, "But sure. I'll take you down there. You guys are okay staying here for a little bit, right?"

"Of course. I'm just glad she's okay." Sheena said.

Zelos just nodded, and Lloyd waved them off. Anna chuckled, leading Genis down the hallway to the room where his sister was staying.

Opening the door, she poked her head in. Kaley and the doctor were finishing cleaning up, and Raine's eyes were open.

"Raine!" Genis ran over.

"Genis!" she said, surprised.

"Careful, Genis. She's still very weak." Kaley said.

"Sorry." Genis backed up a little, but Raine reached up and hugged him.

Anna slipped out of the room before Raine saw her. Kaley was right behind her, looking possibly more tired than Anna did.

"You should get some rest." Anna said, frowning at the blonde woman, who shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. I'm gonna stick around until my father's satisfied that Raine is healed enough." She said as they walked into the waiting room.

"You look almost dead on your feet." Anna said, "I can help your father, you need to get some sleep."

"I agree completely." Collin said, putting his hands on Kaley's shoulders and starting to steer her from the room.

"B-but-" she tried to protest.

"Nope." Collin said, "You're going to a spare room and taking a nap."

Kaley sighed, giving in and letting Collin lead her out of the room. Anna giggled, before turning back down the hallway to see if the doctor needed anything.

XXXX

Now that her mana was steadied, Raine was able to heal herself quickly, and the doctor agreed she could leave the hospital after one more night of rest. Genis decided to stay in the room with her, so Lloyd and Anna went with Sheena and Zelos back to Zelos's house, where there was enough room for the two of them to stay.

"What are we going to do once Raine's released from the hospital?" Sheena asked, as they sat in the living room of the house.

"I don't know." Anna said, "But we should stay in Meltokio for a little while. Raine's not completely healed, only enough to leave the hospital. It'll be at least a week until she's up for traveling."

"And then we need to do something about Colette." Sheena said, "We put her to the side so we could heal Raine, but once Raine's healed, we need to figure out what we're doing about Colette."

Anna frowned, but said nothing.

Sheena frowned, "But there's so much we don't know about this ritual." She said, "We know Cruxis has Colette, and we know that if she… we know she could die."

"I can ask my dad, if you want." Zelos said, "He didn't tell me much about the Chosen's journey, but he probably knows."

"It's worth a shot." Lloyd nodded, wishing he could tell them everything, but knowing it would just make things worse.

"We could also check the Research Lab's library." Sheena said, "The royal library will have more, but your dad's the only one who could get us in there." She glanced at Zelos.

"I'll ask him that too." Zelos said, "But in the morning. I think we all need to get some sleep."

"Right." Anna said, "Off to bed, all three of you." she waved them towards the stairs, standing up. As they headed up, Sheena having decided to stay over that night, Lloyd glanced back at his mother.

"You coming?"

Anna looked over, "Yep. I'll be up in a minute. Sleep well."

"Yeah…" Lloyd said, frowning, but continuing up the stairs anyway.

* * *

I know I said there would be two people leaving, and the way I'd planned it, there should've been.

Except I accidentally screwed something up, continuity wise, and had to change it to make it work.

Sooooo, only Kratos left. The next chapter brings the start of the next plotline! I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Mithos's makeover, courtesy of Kelly, has actually been drawn for… a long long time. Like a year, I think. I didn't link at first 'cause it was a huge spoiler, and then because I forgot, but then I figured I could link it once I actually showed him getting a makeover.

So, here you go. She's awesome, give her awesome-hugs. ravenwolf-zero. deviantart. com/ gallery/ ?offset=24#/d283kt0

Remove the spaces, of course!

But this is the last of the weekly updates, since I go back to school the day after tomorrow.

I was actually really worried I wouldn't get this done today. Haha.

Hope you guys like it! I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can!


	39. Sorrow

It took a week and a half for Raine to convince Anna that she was really okay to walk. By that point she'd rested, healed herself, rested some more, healed herself again, and rested even more. The rest of the group had spent their time split between two libraries, looking for books that had any information on Cruxis Crystals.

No surprise, the information wasn't very helpful.

Despite looking through books in both the Research Lab's library and Collin and Kaley's personal library, there had been absolutely nothing in any of them about Colette's condition. There were some interesting theories about Cruxis Crystals and how they affected the bloodstream, but it wasn't anything that was going to help them with Colette.

They had decided, though, that they needed to get her back from Cruxis before they could do anything else, as it would be easier to figure out what to do if they had Colette in front of them.

"This is impossible." Sheena groaned, leaning back in a chair in the Research Lab's library. Genis, Raine, Anna, and Lloyd had gotten two hotel rooms for their stay so that they wouldn't impose on Sheena and Zelos's parents any more than they needed to.

"We'll come up with something." Lloyd said, looking up from the rather useless book in his hands, "I think we need to make a plan to get her back from Cruxis before we can get any further in this."

Sheena sighed and paused, before speaking again, "Think you mom will have any ideas for getting into Cruxis? She's friends with Mara, right?

Lloyd frowned, "I can ask her."

XXXX

"I can't contact Mara." Anna crossed her arms, looking away from her son and Sheena.

"Why?" Sheena asked, "Anna, please—we're just trying to save Colette! She's your friend too!"

Anna stiffened, "I know that, Sheena." She said, as calm as possible, "I can't contact Mara, because I cut off my communication with her."

Lloyd's eyes widened, "What?"

"I found out she did know what happened with Colette—that she'd lied to me," Anna said, lying herself, "So… I destroyed the communication device she'd given me." She gestured to the table, where her communication device, her link to Cruxis AND her husband, lay in shambles, "Mostly accidentally." She muttered, slightly sheepish.

Lloyd, however, picked up on the hidden meaning behind Anna's words.

"I guess we need a new plan, then…" Sheena frowned, turning to Lloyd, "Any ideas? Your dad?"

"I don't even know where my dad is." Lloyd sighed, "He's on whatever job he left to handle."

Sheena sighed as well.

Anna put a hand on both their shoulders. "Raine's just about ready to start moving again. We'll go back to Sybak—Kaley's given me a pass to the library and she's going to talk to Zelos about accompanying us across the bridge again."

Sheena nodded, "Okay," as Lloyd nodded as well. The Tethe'allan looked past Anna to the clock on the wall, frowning, "Oh, I should get home—mom's making dinner and wanted me to help. She said to invite you guys as well." She smiled.

"Tell her thank you." Anna smiled back, "What time should we be there?"

"Umm…" Sheena thought for a minute, "About an hour. See you guys later." She left, shutting the door behind her.

"Mom?" Lloyd asked, glancing over at his mother, who still had her hand on his shoulder.

Anna turned to him, "Yes?"

"When you say you cut off communication with Mara…" Lloyd trailed off.

"I mean it." Anna said, "I can't keep playing both sides like this—I'm not your father, I don't have the experience he does. I'm going to crack eventually unless I choose a side. Kratos understands, and he's going to continue to help both sides, but he's not going to stop either of us." She sighed, "I doubt we can bring Colette back—Mithos is in control of her body and her spirit is gone, but…"

"They need to know what happened. They need to find out, and if we just tell them, they'll… freak out." Lloyd said.

Anna just nodded, not bothering to fix her son's word choice, "Exactly."

XXXX

"Mithos!" Martel shouted, stalking down the halls of Derris Kharlan, looking for her mysteriously-missing brother.

Kratos walked out of the seed room as she passed it, and she turned back to talk to him. Before she could ask, he spoke up, "He's by the portal. Been there all morning."

Martel frowned, "Uh, why?"

"I don't know." Kratos shook his head, "But the seed is getting weaker. I'm not sure how much longer we can sustain it like this."

Martel sighed, "I know. I've been putting off talking to him, but I really can't anymore."

Kratos put his hand on her shoulder, and Martel smiled up at him, "Thanks, Kratos!" she continued down the hallway, turning the corner and headed out a pair of automatic sliding doors, almost running straight into Mithos.

"Careful, Martel." Mithos chuckled.

Martel readjusted herself, "I was looking for you." she smiled, "Can we talk?"

Mithos nodded, "Sure."

XXXX

"So, when are you leaving for Sybak?" Amia asked Anna as the two women quickly washed the dishes from dinner. The brunette had offered to help so the job would get done faster.

"The day after tomorrow." Anna said, "Early morning."

Amia nodded, "I know I don't need to ask, but please take care of Sheena."

"Of course." Anna said without hesitation.

"Thank you." Amia refocused on the dishes, "How's Raine? I've been preoccupied—I haven't been by the hotel to see her, and I noticed she didn't come to dinner."

"She's much better. I asked if she wanted to come to dinner, but she said she was tired and just wanted to sleep." Anna shrugged.

"Understandable, considering the state she was in two weeks ago." Amia nodded.

Anna just nodded back.

XXXX

Raine flipped through the pages of the notebook on her lap. She was sitting at the desk in the hotel room she was sharing with Anna, curled up in the comfortable desk chair. She had to hand it to Meltokio—their hotels were much nicer than any hotel she'd seen in Sylvarant.

She flipped a page in the book, and her eyes fell on the small picture taped there.

It was a little blurry, and not the best quality, but it was the only picture of her family that she had. Her mother's arms were around her from behind, and her father was holding Genis in one arm and had one over his wife's shoulders.

"Oh, you're awake" Anna asked, slipping softly into the room.

Raine quickly shut the book, turning and nodding, "I was feeling restless, so I decided to read."

Anna nodded, sitting down on her bed, "Are you feeling better?"

"Much." Raine nodded, "Thank you."

Anna smiled. "We've decided to go to Sybak. We're leaving the day after tomorrow, if you're up to it."

Raine nodded, "Definitely, yes."

Anna smiled "You should get some rest. I think I'll sleep too."

Raine stood up, tucking her book into her bag, "You're probably right."

XXXX

SMACK.

Martel touched her stinging cheek, staring in shock at her older brother, who had just backhanded her across the face.

"Are you stupid? I made it pretty clear that I don't want to revive that stupid tree. Why would I want to save ht world that killed me?"

Martel clenched her hands, "Because the Mithos I know wouldn't have cared if they'd killed him—he'd still want to save them!"

Mithos smacked her across the face again, "Just shut up. You obviously don't remember right."

Martel turned and ran away, tears starting to well up in her eyes. She shut the door to her bedroom, sliding down it as sobs wracked her body.

* * *

I don't really have much to say. Next major plotline starts in the first scene of the next chapter. (The first scene is written, the rest is still… just in my brain.)

Review?


	40. Begging

Not for the first time, Anna was regretting smashing her communicator. She was used to hearing from her husband at least once a day, and now it had been two days and she hadn't been able to hear anything from him. It was slowly driving her insane.

"Mom?" Lloyd glanced over at her, "You've folded that shirt six times."

Anna glanced at the tunic in her hands as it unfolded again. "Oh." She muttered, quickly folding it and putting it down, "Sorry."

"You alright?" Lloyd frowned. Raine and Genis glanced over.

"Yeah, just a little scatterbrained today." Anna said, "I'm gonna take a walk."

She opened the hotel room door and was about to step outside when a green haired girl stepped into her path, looking flustered and a little upset.

"I know I'm the last person you all want to see right now, but I need your help." Martel said, shaking a little, "Please."

Raine's eyes widened.

Genis went to run forward, looking angry, but Raine stopped him, grabbing him from behind. "Wait."

"What happened?" Anna asked, carefully touching Martel's cheek, which was red and swelling a little, "Raine, can you heal her?"

"Why should I?" Raine asked, calmly, "She's the entire reason we're in this mess."

Martel shook lightly, "No, it's okay. You don't need to heal me."

"Mara…"

Martel cut Anna off, "But I need your help, please. Your worlds will die soon if we don't do something."

"Why should we—" Raine was cut off by a gasp from Anna.

"He's ignoring the seed, isn't he?" Anna asked, hand shaking lightly as she pulled it away from Martel's cheek, "Kratos was right, he doesn't want to revive the tree?"

Martel looked down and nodded, tears threatening to spill over.

Raine frowned, "What do you mean?"

Anna looked over at her friend, "Mara's right…" she glanced at Lloyd, "I need to tell you guys a story. At the end of it, you'll probably hate me, but that's okay. You just need to know."

Lloyd stayed silent.

"Is this the time for stories, Anna?" Raine asked, frowning.

"Yes." Anna insisted, "Lloyd, will you take Mara down to your room and clean up her cheek, please?"

Lloyd nodded, "Alright." Martel nodded as well, following Lloyd out of the room. They shut the door behind them.

"Anna, what's going on?" Raine asked.

Anna sighed, "We were really hoping this wouldn't happen." She said, sitting down on her bed and gesturing for Raine and Genis to sit on Raine's bed. "Okay. The story starts about 4000 years ago. The hero Mithos, his younger sister Martel and their two companions had just ended the Kharlan War."

"Wait, Martel was the hero Mithos's younger sister?" Genis asked, confused.

"Kratos told me about that—Mithos and Martel were half elves." Raine said.

Anna nodded, "Right."

"Wait, really?" Genis asked, surprised.

Anna nodded, "One of their companions was as well. The last one was a human."

Raine nodded.

"In order to keep the worlds alive, though, they had to be split in two and the mana had to alternate between them, keeping any large uses of mana from happening." Anna continued, "However, less than a week after the end of the war, a group of angry humans hunted Mithos down, and he was killed. His sister, distraught, took his Cruxis Crystal and attached it to the seed of the dead Great Tree to keep him alive."

Raine frowned.

"This is a shortened version of what happened, of course." Anna added. "As years passed, Martel began plans to bring her brother back to life. Her brother had raised her and she wanted him back. Her two remaining companions, her best friends, helped her as well, willing to support her in whatever she chose, because they loved her very much."

"So, she became the Goddess." Raine said.

"In the eyes of the people, yes. She became a goddess to them, and despite spending most of her time trying to revive her brother, she did her best to keep them as happy as possible. As the Chosens came to the Tower and she tried to revive Mithos, she would reverse the mana flow, even if they transfer failed. She had no intention of letting the worlds die."

"So… the Chosens were meant as…"

"Vessels for Martel to use to revive her brother." Anna nodded.

"And Colette…"

"Colette was brought to Derris Kharlan to be Mithos's vessel. It was the closest match they'd had in years." She frowned, looking at her lap, and sighing, "And it was successful."

Raine stiffened, "Anna, what were the names of Martel's two companions?"

Anna smiled grimly, "I see you're starting to make the connection. Martel's two companions and best friends were named Kratos and Yuan. Knowing the ability to stop the war was out of their reach as humans and half elves, the four hunted down a way to gain more power, and in Kratos's case, a longer life. They found Cruxis Crystals and turned themselves into Angels so that they could have the power to end the war. Once Mithos died and Martel set herself to reviving him, it doubled as a way to stay alive until he was revived, as Cruxis Crystals stop the body's internal clock."

"So, your husband Kratos is…" Raine said, forcing the words out, "an angel. Which means Mara is… Martel."

Anna lowered her head, sighing again, "Yes. I'll answer questions, and I promise to tell the truth, but let me finish the story first."

Raine fell silent, nodding, calculating. Genis said nothing.

Anna took this as a sign to continue, "Mithos had control of a sword called the Eternal Sword. This sword allowed him to split the worlds, and controlled the system of mana. When he died, he gave Martel control of the sword so that she could control the mana system. Mithos's Cruxis Crystal was keeping the Great Seed alive, its own vying system of sorts, but they knew that once Mithos was revived, the seed would need to be germinated as soon as possible or it wouldn't survive—the Eternal Sword could make that happen. So, the plan was for Mithos to germinate the seed once he was alive and had control of the sword again. The mana would start to regrow."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here." Raine said, "You asked Mar-Martel if he was ignoring the seed."

Anna nodded, "Kratos had suspicions when Mithos didn't germinate the seed right away. It seems he doesn't want to germinate it at all. Without the seed, the worlds will use up the mana and die." She sighed, "That's the story."

There was silence for a moment before Raine spoke, "Mara is Martel, you husband and the man covering for me at the Iselia schoolhouse are her companions, and the hero Mithos is currently living within Colette." Raine summed up. "And they're all over 4000 years old."

"Yes." Anna nodded.

"But now the Great Seed is dying because Mithos won't revive it using the Eternal Sword." Raine continued, "And she needs our help."

"I'm not entirely sure of her plan, exactly, but yes."

"So, I'm guessing Kratos is not off on a mercenary job right now?" Raine asked.

"He's not a mercenary." Anna nodded, sighing, "Whenever he was off on a 'job', he was on Derris Kharlan."

Raine fell silent again for a moment, before looking at Anna, "Who are you then, Anna?"

"I've never lied to you about me." Anna promised, "I was born in Luin, my parents were born in Luin, I was friends with Cacao."

"But you're hiding something." Raine said.

Anna sighed, letting her wings unfurl from her back.

Raine's eyes widened, "You're an angel too!"

"Well..." Anna dismissed her wings, "A really young one. And Kratos really had no choice—I would've died otherwise." Anna sighed, "I told you that at the end of the story you'd probably hate me. But that's okay. I'm just glad you know."

"Can you leave us alone for a minute?" Raine asked.

Anna frowned, "Sure. I'll be in Lloyd and Genis's room." She stood up, hesitating at the door before leaving.

Once the door was shut, Raine sighed. "I can't believe this…"

"I already knew."

Raine turned to look at her brother, jumping up, "What? All of that? How?"

"No, no!" Genis said, "Just that Anna was an angel. She risked letting her secret out when I was sick—she had her angel wings out while healing me. She didn't know I'd seen them."

Raine sighed, sitting back down, "Oh." She paused, "What're your thoughts on all this?"

"Anna's your closest friend, sis." Genis smiled, "Just like Lloyd is mine. Lloyd kept telling Colette that she was still Colette, no matter what happened to her… does this really change who Lloyd, Anna, and Kratos are?"

Raine gave her brother a hug.

XXXX

"Kratos, no. Stay there a little longer, please. I don't want you to get hurt if he comes after you."

"_Martel, I highly doubt-"_

"Please." Martel begged, looking like she was about to burst into tears. Anna carefully took the communicator from her.

"Kratos?"

"_Hello, Anna."_

"Glad you're so calm." Anna rolled her eyes, "If you're gonna leave, at least do me a favor first."

"_Yes?"_

"Can you kill Lloyd, my, and Martel's trackers? I completely forgot about them, and if we're gonna be on the run from Mithos, we can't have them."

"_Right." _Kratos said, _"I already did. Yuan's and mine as well."_

Martel breathed a sigh of relief, "I didn't even think of that.

"Thank you. I'll see you soon, then?" Anna asked Kratos.

"_I'm on my way down now."_

"Wait!" Martel protested.

"Just let him come, Mar." Anna said, "Yuan's stuck in Iselia—they want one of them to be with you."

Martel started crying again, and Anna sighed, hugging the girl.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Lloyd called, glancing over.

Raine opened the door, her and Genis standing there.

Anna's face lit up, "Raine?"

"We'll help." She said, "But no more secrets. Not one. I expect complete and full disclosure from now on."

"Of course." Anna said, smiling, "Thank you so much, Raine."

"You still have to convince Sheena and Zelos, though." Genis said, "Sheena, at least, I know is gonna want to come along."

Lloyd frowned, "Right…"

"We'll handle that later." Anna said, "Kratos is on his way here, it shouldn't take him long-"

She was interrupted by a scream from outside. Lloyd ran to the window to see what was going on, only to see Colette's body—Mithos—walking down the street, rainbow wings out in full blown glory.

He cursed, running from the room.

"Lloyd?" Anna asked, pulling the curtain back herself, "Oh, no… it's Mithos."

"Lloyd just went out to…" Martel gasped.

"Lloyd!" Anna shouted, running after her son. It took less than a second for Genis, Raine, and Martel to follow her.

When they caught up, Lloyd had his swords out, threatening Mithos.

"You're… Kratos's kid?" Mithos laughed, "I figured kids were below him."

"Mithos!" Martel shouted.

Mithos's eyes flickered over to the green haired girl, who stopped next to Anna.

"Martel." Mithos said, smiling. "Come on, let's go home."

"No. Germinate the Great Seed." Martel clenched her hands, "Until you do, I'm not going anywhere with you."

Mithos's face twisted in anger (which looked off, since Lloyd was pretty sure he'd never seen Colette angry), and a purple sword appeared in his hand. He raised it, meaning to strike, but hesitated, freezing momentarily.

A second later, he vanished in a flurry of pink feathers.

"He… ran?" Lloyd asked, lowering his swords.

Martel unclenched her hands, "I guess… I don't know."

"He's probably still weak from the joining with Colette." Anna said, mostly hoping.

Sheena and Zelos ran down the stairs towards them. Sheena didn't notice Martel.

"Was that Colette?" Sheena asked, stopping to catch her breath.

"And who's Greeney here?" Zelos asked.

Sheena turned, "Mara?" she asked, surprised.

Anna groaned, "And now it's later."

* * *

Yaaaaaay, chapter done. So here you go! New plotline! (This is actually two chapters combined in my outline, since I needed to move some stuff around.)

More info next chapter, plus some action! (Hopefully. I might split the next chapter into two.)

Lemme know what you thought!


	41. Downtime

"If we head northwest out of Meltokio, we can make it to the Earth temple before nightfall tomorrow." Raine said, pointing at the Tethe'alla map in front of her. Kratos, Lloyd, and Martel were standing around the table with her, all brainstorming ideas as they watched the map. Sheena, Zelos, Genis, and Anna were on the other side of the room, Anna and Genis explaining everything to the final two members of the group.

"We can't force Sheena to make the pacts." Lloyd said, "If Sheena doesn't want to help, we need to find another summoner."

"You're sure we need all the pacts to get the Eternal Sword?" Raine frowned.

"Well, no." Kratos shook his head, "The seal on Origin was created based on the fact that Mithos help pacts with every summon spirit. The only way the seal can be released is if Mithos no longer holds those pacts. We don't personally have to hold them all."

"The four main elemental pacts are needed to get the pact with Maxwell, though." Martel added.

"Okay," Raine nodded, "So Amia doesn't have to give up her pact with Shadow?"

"Right." Kratos nodded, "She actually saves us some time by keeping it."

"Okay, this seal on Origin." Raine said, "Once all of the pacts are out of Mithos's hands, the seal with be released?"

Lloyd glanced at his father, frowning as Kratos shook his head, "No. The seal can be released."

"And where is this seal?" Raine asked, not noticing the worried glances Lloyd and Martel were throwing Kratos.

"The seal is housed within myself." Kratos said, "Once we've gathered the spirits, I will be able to release the seal."

Raine looked up, surprised, "Inside you?"

"Yes. We'll worry about the seal later, though." Kratos said, "We still need all the pacts and if Sheena doesn't agree to be the summoner to do so, we need to find a summoner willing to help."

"Why does this have to be so complicated?" Lloyd groaned, "Couldn't you guys have just made it easy?"

Martel and Kratos glanced over at Lloyd, "If we'd made it easy, we'd have lost the pacts and the sword by now. We needed to make it difficult. Luckily, though, we're the ones who created the seal." Martel said, "So, we know the process."

"There is one other problem." Kratos said, "The pacts serve as mana links between the worlds, allowing mana to pass between them. We need to get the pact with one of the linked spirits last, so that we can be ready for whatever happens."

"We also have to factor in Mithos." Martel said, swallowing thickly, "He is not going to be pleased."

"I'm still concerned about him running away like he did." Kratos said, "You said he just... left?"

Raine nodded, "Raised the sword, hesitated, then vanished."

Kratos frowned.

Anna stood up and walked over, squeezing in next to him as he wrapped an arm around her.

"I didn't mention the plan yet." Anna said, "Mostly because I was having trouble listening to it and explaining the story at the same time. Genis is talking to them now."

Martel nodded, "We decided to head towards Gnome first. He's closest and I really would rather just get him over with."

Kratos chuckled softly, "It's been 4000 years and it was Yuan he didn't like."

"Still." Martel muttered, huffing softly.

Raine raised an eyebrow. Anna giggled, "They had a bad experience with Gnome when the four of them went to get their pact with him the first time."

"The only problem with getting Gnome first is that his pact will break the first mana link." Kratos said, "Sheena already has a pact with the Sylph."

Anna nodded, "We have to be careful with Luna too."

"We can't get the pact with Luna until we locate Aska anyway." Martel said.

Anna nodded again.

"Okay, we have a plan, then." Kratos said.

"Kratos." Raine said, "Can you mark the temples on my map for me?" she asked, pulling her map out of her bad, and laying it out next to Kratos's. It was a map of Tethe'alla that she'd bought in a marketplace somewhere.

"Sure." Kratos said, picking up the closest pencil and carefully marking down the positions of Tethe'alla's four temples. "The four Sylvarant spirits are at the seals." he said, "Maxwell is in Exire, which I can't mark on the map because it moves, and I'm marking Origin."

Raine nodded, "Okay."

Kratos finished writing Origin's name on the map and handed it back to her.

"When are we leaving?"

Anna turned. Sheena was looking over at them, a frown on her face.

"We were planning to leave early tomorrow morning." Kratos answered, "It's not an incredibly long walk to Gnome's temple."

Sheena nodded, "I overheard that you need a summoner."

"If you're not comfortable making these pacts, Sheena, we can find another summoner." Anna said, "Don't feel pressured."

Sheena shook her head, "No. I'll do it." she frowned, "I just... Lloyd, can I talk to you?"

Lloyd blinked, surprised, "Sure. Wanna go outside?"

Sheena nodded, standing up and leaving the room without another word. Lloyd quickly followed her. He found her sitting on the stairs that led down to the lobby of the hotel.

He quietly sat down next to her, waiting for her to speak.

"You knew Colette was dead, didn't you?"

The question wasn't as surprising as Lloyd had hoped it would be. This was the one question he really didn't want to answer.

He went for the simple answer, "Yeah."

Sheena didn't stay silent, "Then why all the research? Why didn't you just tell us?"

"You honestly think that 24 hours ago, if I had said 'Colette's dead, Mithos is control of her body and I know all this because my parents are angels,' you would've believed me?"

Sheena faltered, "Well... I don't know..."

"Exactly." Lloyd said, "I knew Colette was dead, but I knew you guys needed to find out for yourself or you'd either never believe me or hate me."

Sheena frowned, looking at her shoes.

"And you probably do hate me, and I understand, but..." he trailed off, not sure what else to say.

Sheena didn't seem to have anything else to say either, sitting there, as silent as he was.

"I don't hate you." she finally said, a few minutes later, "I'm angry at you... at your parents... at everyone right now, actually. But I don't hate you."

Lloyd smiled slightly, "Well, that's better than nothing." he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Thank you, Sheena."

* * *

And this took awhile. Sorry about that. It's actually been written in my notebook for a few weeks now, but I didn't have time to type it. Finally did!

Lemme know what you thought. Next chapter they head to Gnome! Expect group craziness to ensue soon. I missed writing group craziness.

Gosh, guys, I know your friend is dead, but perk UP. Sheesh. :P

I'll have the next chapter out soon. Review?


	42. Ravine

I don't usually put an author's note before the chapter, but this one required one. The beginning of this chapter was not written by me, but by my lovely roommate Jasmine (iwasnthere622 on FFN). I was having SO many problems starting this chapter, and I was explaining what needed to happen to her one day when she said she'd give it a shot. And she did. And I loved it. And it became the beginning of this chapter. There will be a very clear linebreak of when her part stops and my part starts. Without further ado, here's the chapter!

* * *

The silence was getting to her. Seriously, it was quieter walking to the temple right now than in a graveyard. If there was no noise in three seconds, she was going to scream. She glared at her husband, but he returned it with a cold look of his own and she deflated, looking away. No one could out-glare that man. Seriously, even the birds weren't chirping. It's like someone died! Well… that kinda did happen… No, must focus. Right, silence!

"Butterflies!" Anna shouted.

Lloyd, Genis, Martel, and Zelos jumped and glanced at her, startled. Sheena and Raine were far too absorbed in their own thoughts, and Kratos merely raised an eyebrow.

"Butterflies." Anna repeated.

"Um… Mom?" Lloyd questioned, confused.

"I love butterflies. They're so pretty and colorful and elegant and floaty and awesome!" Anna explained.

"Butterflies?" Zelos asked, blinking several times as if he'd just noticed the group he was walking with.

"Yes, butterflies! Don't you just love butterflies?" Anna asked her husband.

Kratos gave her a look that clearly conveyed his doubt at her sudden love of butterflies, and his understanding of what she was trying to do. He nodded, not rewarding her with a vocal answer.

Anna pouted and was about to give up when Genis tentatively spoke up.

"Do you remember the monarch butterfly that flew into the schoolhouse? Lloyd insisted on catching it to make it a pet, but it got away."

"Yes! Yes, I do. Oh, my poor Lloyd was so upset afterwards!" Anna remembered.

Sheena blinked, "Lloyd wanted a butterfly as a pet?"

Anna chuckled, "Yes, my son has always been quick to get attached. He made friends with you really fast, didn't he Genis?"

"I brought him home to play the first day I met him." Lloyd said, tentatively smiling at Genis, his smile widening when it was hesitantly returned.

Raine, who had been silently listening all alone, spoke up, "Yes, Genis and Lloyd were inseparable as children, and Lloyd always tried to do the right thing. But they are not children anymore and are faced with much harder decisions than saving and keeping a butterfly."

Lloyd's smile dropped off his face, "I know, Professor. And I'm really, really sorry."

An awkward silence once more enveloped the group, but Martel suddenly spoke up.

"Look, I know I'm pretty hated myself at the moment and not a true member of this group, but I think you should all listen to yourselves. You're directing your anger at the situation at people that you have known and been friends with for years! Can't you see they're just as angry at the situation? Decades of good years shouldn't be erased by weeks of hardship. Zelos, was it? You're a bit of an outsider too. What do you think?"

Zelos looked startled at suddenly having the group's attention, but he cleared his throat and nodded, "Yeah, it sounds like you were all pretty close. I know that lies are painful, but if the friendship is real, it's worth it to overcome them."

There was silence for a moment, then Sheena smiled, "Lloyd, Genis, race you to the end of the path!" With that, the ninja took off. Lloyd and Genis shared a look before laughing and taking off after her, shouting.

"Be careful!" Kratos yelled to his retreating son's back. Martel put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Zelos and I will watch them. C'mon!"

With that, she grabbed the redhead's hand and took off after the others.

Kratos sighed, and Raine turned to face Anna.

"I do not know if I can forgive quite as easily as them… But for the sake of our friendship, I will try." Raine said.

Anna smiled, tears in her eyes, "Oh, Raine! I'm so sorry. No more lies, I promise!"

Raine nodded and stumbled back a bit as Anna launched herself into Raine's arms, hugging her tight. Raine tentatively hugged her back. They pulled apart, grinning.

"C'mon. Let's catch up with the others." Raine said.

Kratos nodded, proud of his wife for breaking the tension with butterflies, of all things. Oh well. That was his Anna. The three adults hurried after the others, finding them at the end of the path.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-JASMINE END HERE-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The trip to Gnome's temple was interrupted by the group running out of ground in front of them to walk on. At some point between when Kratos had bought his map and the present day, a ravine had opened up in the middle of the path. It was too wide to even HOPE to jump over, and they couldn't see the bottom from their position at the top.

"Now what do we do?" Genis frowned, "It could take days to go around this."

"We can carry you over." Martel suggested, her green wings spreading from her back, "If you're okay with it…"

Raine paled, "You are not carrying me over… over that."

"Raine, you're afraid of heights too?" Sheena frowned.

"I'm afraid of falling!"

Anna giggled, "No worries, Raine. I promise I won't drop you."

"I'll go first, if you're worried." Genis said, actually excited about the prospect.

Martel skipped over, taking his arms, "Okay, Raine?"

Raine took a deep breath and nodded to Anna, who grinned, grabbing her as her yellow-orange wings spread out from her back.

Kratos turned to Sheena and Zelos. "Which one of you would like to come first?"

Zelos glanced at Sheena, then shrugged, "I will."

Kratos nodded, walking over to him. Sheena glanced at Lloyd, "Do you do this a lot?"

Lloyd raised an eyebrow, "What? Fly?"

"Yeah." Sheena said, "They didn't even suggest taking you first."

Lloyd shrugged, "I mean, they've carried me while flying before, but we don't fly that often." Lloyd shrugged, "Last time was a few years ago."

Sheena nodded, her awkward attempt at conversation failing. Luckily, Martel landed on the ground in front of her, "Ready, Sheena?"

"Sure." Sheena nodded. Martel took her arm and flew off. Lloyd sighed, waiting for one of his parents to show up and grab him.

Kratos landed in front of him a moment later, "Everything alright, Lloyd?"

Lloyd nodded, "Relieved, I guess."

Kratos nodded, "I am sorry that we were forced to put you in this situation."

Lloyd just shrugged, "Wasn't your fault. Let's head over before Mom thinks we've run off and left the pacts to her."

Kratos smiled slightly and took his son's arm.

XXXX

A few minutes later, they were facing the entrance to Gnome's temple. Sheena took a deep breath, a little nervous, "Ready?"

"You're the one making the pact, Sheena. We'll wait until you're ready." Anna said.

Sheena took another deep breath, "Then let's go."

They headed in through the cave-like entrance. Lloyd absentmindedly kicked loose rocks as he walked.

"I can barely see anything." Genis frowned as they got further in, "Do we have a torch or something?"

"Last time we came through, there were torches on the walls." Martel said, her wings appearing to cloak the group in light green light.

"They're still there." Kratos confirmed, "But they aren't lit."

"I'll get it!" Genis said, casting. A fire spell hit the torch, flames erupting on it and then almost immediately going out, seeming to be absorbed by the torch.

"Uhhhh…" Anna frowned. She walked over to the torch, reaching up and pulling it out of its holder.

"It's not wet or anything." Anna frowned.

"This is… weird, guys." Martel said, "This is reminding me too much of Shadow's temple."

"Perhaps we should just continue by wing light?" Kratos suggested.

"The cliffs, though." Martel said, "The pathway goes back and forth between being wide and thin."

"We'll lead, then." Anna said, "I'll go in front, and Martel, you go in the back. If I fall, I'll just fly back up."

Martel still looked hesitant, but nodded, "Okay."

Anna tossed the strange torch to the side and drew her wings out, heading to the front of the group. "Okay, we'll move slow. If I say to get in a single file line, make sure you listen."

A chorus of agreements rang through the group and Anna turned, starting to walk.

This method worked fine for awhile, and Lloyd was (for the first time) slightly relieved that they didn't have Colette with them. Her clumsiness would have kicked in and someone would have fallen by now.

Unfortunately, he underestimated Sheena's clumsiness. She tripped, grabbing onto Zelos's shoulder for support, but he was already standing a little too close to the edge of the path. He stumbled, slipping off the side. He shouted in surprise, managing to get a grip on a rather steady rock, but that didn't change the fact that he was literally hanging off a cliff.

"Uhh… help?"

* * *

Muahahahaha, how's that for a cliffhanger? :D

It's Jasmine's fault. She wanted a cliffhanger very badly. Next chapter's almost done, just not typed, so I'll get on that right away! Hope you guys enjoyed!

And be sure to check Jasmine out if you liked the part of this chapter that she wrote! The two of us are co-writing a Kingdom Hearts fanfic together that's on her profile, and she has a Tales of Symphonia fic as well, where Lloyd and Sheena are the Chosens instead of Colette and Zelos. Links are in my profile!

EDIT: I forgot! Kelly drew the most awesome picture ever of Kratos and Anna after Kvar attacks Anna. It's amazing. You should go see it.

http : / / ravenwolf-zero . deviantart . com / # / d3f6afu

Remove the spaces~!


	43. Darkness

Martel squeaked and quickly dove after him, grabbing his arms and pulling him back up onto the walkway.

"This isn't working." She said, as Zelos regained his bearings by essentially, worshipping the fact that there was now ground below him. "If Zelos hadn't been able to get a grip on the wall, I might not have been able to catch him!"

Kratos nodded, "Alright, we'll stop for a little while." He said, "I'll go ahead and see if I can figure out what's going on."

"I'll go with you." Martel said, "Anna, can you stay here so everyone's not stuck in complete darkness?"

"Of course. Be careful." Anna smiled.

Kratos and Martel left, the light of their wings vanishing, swallowed up by the blackness around them.

Sheena shivered, "Sorry for knocking you off the cliff, Zelos."

Zelos shook his head, "Not your fault."

"Hmm… idea…" Anna muttered, grabbing her bag and rooting through it.

Raine glanced at her, "Anna?" The brunette was balling up and twisting one of her old tunics, knotting it on both ends. She put it down on the ground in the middle of them.

"Genis, could you set that on fire for me?" she asked.

"Your tunic?" he asked, surprised.

"It's the one Kvar wrecked. I never got a chance to mend it." Anna shrugged, "Please?" she smiled.

Genis blinked again and cast a fireball spell, the fire engulfing the tunic.

It didn't go out.

"Hey! It worked!" Sheena exclaimed, surprised.

"That's what I thought." Anna frowned, her wings vanishing, "This is just like Shadow's temple. Anything within the temple can't be lit, but things brought in from outside the temple can. If we had our own torch, we could have lit it, but because we tried to light the one belonging to this temple, it went out."

Raine frowned, "But this isn't Shadow's temple."

"Another thing worries me. Gnome has this little…" she paused, "Minions, called Gnomelettes. Martel hates them. I've never seen them myself, but I know we haven't seen them in here."

Raine frowned, "Hopefully Kratos and Martel will find something, then."

"Yeah." Anna nodded, "I hope."

XXXX

Kratos glanced at the barely visible outline of Martel as the two of them descended deeper into the temple. "Are you alright? You're being very quiet."

Martel sighed, "I had a fight with Yuan this morning over him coming here. He wanted to be here with us, for support, but I told him to stay in Iselia. It kind of turned into a huge blowout. Between that and everything with Mithos, I'm just…" she sighed, "Kratos, Mithos wouldn't have done this. You know that."

"I know." Kratos said, "But the Mithos we knew has been dead for 4000 years."

Martel sighed, "I know."

Kratos put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Come on. Let's find Gnome."

They didn't have to go much further; the faintly glowing altar of the temple was a few feet ahead. They hurried towards it, Martel stepping up in front, "Gnome! Come out!"

No answer.

"But he never turns down an opportunity to embarrass me." Martel frowned, "Why wouldn't he be here?"

"Martel, back up." Kratos said.

"What?" Martel asked, scurrying backwards. A pair of glowing eyes appeared, floating over the altar.

"Shadow?" Martel asked in surprise, "What are you… why are you in Gnome's temple?"

"Pact…" Shadow's disembodied voice spoke. He seemed weaker than the last time Martel or Kratos had encountered him.

"You already have a pact, Shadow." Martel frowned, "With Amia Fujibayashi, right?"

"Pactmaker…"

"Martel, I think he's asking us to get Amia." Kratos said, "Either way, Shadow is not supposed to be in Gnome's temple."

"Did Anna leave a communicator with Kaley in case of an emergency?" Martel asked.

"I believe so." Kratos pulled his communicator out, "Anna?"

Anna jolted out of her thoughts at her communicator beeped. Grabbing it, she ignored the surprised looks from her companions and flipped it open. "Kratos? Did you find something?"

"_Shadow has taken shelter in Gnome's temple."_ Kratos voice filtered through the communicator, _"He's asking for his pactmaker."_

"My mom?" Sheena asked, surprised.

"_Yes."_ Kratos answered, _"Anna, can you—"_

"I'll call Kaley and then fly back and pick her up. You're all the way in the bottom of the temple?" Anna asked, standing up.

"_We're at Gnome's altar, yes."_ Kratos said, _"Martel is on her way back up to give the group some light."_

"No worries, we have a fire." Zelos said, "Anna figured out that we can light things that came in from outside the temple."

"_Alright."_ Kratos nodded, _"She's coming up anyway, just in case."_

XXXX

Kaley was sitting behind her desk, a book in her hands, scanning the pages, trying to keep her mind focused. She was doing research on Cruxis Crystals, namely what she'd been told about Colette's condition, and what she knew from examining Collin's crystal.

All of the sudden, a short beeping sound pulled her out of her thoughts. She reached for the communicator that Anna had given her and flipped it open.

"_Kaley?"_

"Uh," Kaley said, still a little awkward with the technology, "Hello, Anna. Is everything okay?"

"_No one's hurt, but we've run into a little issue."_ Anna responded.

"What kind of issue?"

"_The kind that makes Shadow move into Gnome's temple."_ Anna sighed, _"Shadow's asking for Amia, and we aren't going to be able to figure this out without her, I don't think. I'm flying back to Meltokio now. Is Amia around?"_

"Yes, she's in her apartment, but…"

"_Can you explain for me? I'll be there in about an hour."_ Anna said.

"Of course." Kaley said, "But I don't think Sheena told her parents that you're an angel."

Anna paused, _"__What__?"_

"I told Collin, but Zelos wasn't planning on telling either of us. I don't believe Sheena told her parents."

Anna cursed softly, _"Can you tell her? It'll take too long to walk back, and there's a ravine, and-"_

Kaley cut Anna off, "I'll tell her, but I don't know if she'll believe me right away." Kaley said. She glanced up to see Collin in the doorway.

"_Thank you, Kaley. I owe you so much right now."_ Anna said.

"Don't worry about it. See you soon."

"_Yep."_

Kaley shut the communicator. Collin walked over and began to rub her shoulders, "You look exhausted. You need to rest."

"Not yet." Kaley shook her head, "I have to tell Amia about Anna and Kratos."

Collin raised an eyebrow, but didn't question her, helping her up, "Alright. I'll help you out."

"Where's Seles?" Kaley asked, "We can't leave her alone."

"She's at the palace with Hilda. She's spending the night there." Collin said, "She left a few hours ago—you dropped her off."

Kaley frowned, "I need sleep."

"Yes, yes you do." Collin chuckled, "Let's go talk to Amia and then get you to bed."

"Sounds good." Kaley nodded, relaxing into her husband as he wrapped an arm around her.

XXXX

About a half an hour later, Amia was completely filled in on the situation and only a little bit skeptical about it. She trusted her two friends, and knew that they wouldn't lie to her about something this grave. Quickly packing up some things, she tossed a bag onto the couch.

Seichi was sitting in the living room, talking to Collin, when she walked in. Kaley was asleep in one of the chairs. Neither man had bothered waking her. Standing up, Seichi walked over to her.

"You'll be careful, right?" he asked his wife.

Amia smiled at him, walking into the kitchen so they would have a little bit of privacy, "Of course I will. I may not be a big, bad ninja like you and Sheena, but I'm not defenseless."

Seichi chuckled, pulling his wife into a hug. She rested against his chest in silence for a moment, before pulling back as the doorbell rang.

XXXX

Anna standing in front of her with her wings out in all of their yellow-orange glory made the entire story that her friends had told her sink in. Yes, she'd believed her friends, but her mind hadn't wrapped itself around the idea until Anna spread her wings from her back.

"Are you ready?" Anna asked, looking a little concerned. She'd called back to the temple using her communicator and was able to confirm everyone was still okay, but it was clear that she wanted to get back there as quickly as possible.

Amia grabbed her bag, nodding, "I am. Let's go." Seichi squeezed her hand—they'd said their goodbyes in the kitchen.

"Let Kaley know I said goodbye, okay?" she asked Collin, who smirked and nodded.

"Get going. Say hi to Zelos for me." Collin said.

"I will." Amia smiled. Anna smiled as well, and the two of them left the apartment.

* * *

And there's the next chapter! I had them both written, so I typed them both last night. Next one will come soon! Let's try and see if I can make it a week. Jasmine? Kelly? Feel free to attempt to make this happen.

GUYS. IF YOU READ MY LAST CHAPTER BEFORE I ADDED THE LINK TO KELLY'S NEWEST PICTURE, GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE PICTURE. 'CAUSE IT'S ABSOLUTELY STUNNINGLY AWESOME AMAZING AND SO IS SHE.

That's all I had to say! I'm gonna try and find food now. See you guys soon.

Also, THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THIS FIC FOR THREE YEARS. Three years and we haven't even breached 50 chapters yet. I should get on that.


	44. Meddling

Anna's grip tightened on Amia as she lowered them both towards the ground. As soon as their feet hit the earth she was moving, pulling Amia after her. "Stay close—it's really dark in there at the moment due to Shadow," she warned, keeping her wings out for light.

Amia nodded, "I will. Let's hurry."

They ran in through the front door and passed by the group without saying more than a hello. Anna picked up Amia once they got to the bridge and flew her down to where Kratos was waiting. Once Amia's feet hit the floor, she ran up to the altar. Turning back, she spoke, "Kratos, Anna, could you leave?"

Anna's eyes widened, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Amia nodded, "I need to speak with Shadow."

Anna hesitated, but Kratos nodded, "We'll wait on the other side of the bridge." He said, gesturing behind them. Amia nodded, and waited until the two of them were gone before calling Shadow.

XXXX

"I don't like this." Anna frowned, "I know Shadow won't hurt her, but I'm afraid something else will."

"We're close enough to be able to hear her if she screams for help." Kratos said, "Mithos would do this sometimes when he needed to talk to a spirit. He didn't want any of us around, for some reason. I'm not sure why, but that's probably because I'm not a summoner." He put an arm over her shoulders to reassure her, "How are you? Rushing to Meltokio and back can't have been fun."

"It wasn't, but I'm fine." Anna said, snuggling into his side, "I'm just tired. I'll rest when all of this is over."

Kratos nodded, understanding.

They stood there in silence for about ten more minutes before Kratos heard footsteps and turned around, pulling Anna with him because she was still latched to his side. Amia approached them through the darkness.

"Does Mithos have a pact with Gnome still?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

Kratos frowned and thought, "Yes, I believe so. We haven't really kept track of any of the pacts, though."

"Shadow said that Gnome showed up in his temple and told him that they needed to switch places. He was confused and went to kick Gnome out when he found himself here." Amia explained, "He doesn't know how he got here, all he knows is that this temple is, for some reason, now functioning in the same way that his previously did."

"So Gnome is in Shadow's temple, then?" Anna asked, "Mithos knows what we're trying to do."

"It seems that way." Kratos said, "Staying here will do nothing, I suppose. Is Shadow okay with staying here until we work this out?"

Amia nodded, "Yes. He's comfortable. Like I said, this temple is functioning the same way his did before all of this happened."

"Thus the ever reaching darkness, I suppose." Anna muttered.

"Let's get out of here, then. The sooner we head towards Shadow's temple, the sooner we'll be able to switch them back." Kratos said, "We can drop you back off in Meltokio on the way, if you'd like." He told Amia.

"I think I'm going to stay with you until we've switched Gnome and Shadow back, if that's alright." Amia said, "Now that Shadow's involved, this involves me, and I'd like to avoid any more frantic flying."

Anna smiled, and Kratos nodded, "Alright, that's fine." He said, "Let's get back to the others." He said, letting go of Anna and offering Amia a hand to pick her up and head back.

XXXX

They filled in the others as they made their way slowly through the temple to get out. The darkness hadn't lifted at all, and Anna's flaming tunic had burned itself out. They didn't have anything else that they could burn, so they were walking slowly by wing-light. Once everyone was caught up about what happened, Sheena spoke up.

"So, we're heading to Shadow's temple, then?" she asked, "And we chose Gnome 'cause it was the easiest."

"No, we chose Gnome because he was the closest. Gnome is the farthest thing from easy." Martel grumbled, and Sheena raised an eyebrow, assuming that there was a story there.

Kratos spoke up, saving Martel from having to explain herself. "Yes, we're heading to Shadow's temple. We've confirmed, however, that Mithos at least knows that we're planning on taking the pacts from him, so we can expect to meet more opposition than we have previously."

"Oh." Sheena frowned.

They were all interrupted by Martel's communicator ringing. She snatched it out of her pocket, stepping back from the group to answer it, "Yes?"

"_Hey, Mar."_ It was Yuan, _"I've spoken to Iselia's mayor and they found someone to cover the schoolhouse for a week or so, so I'm coming out there."_

"I already told you that you should just stay there!" Martel said, surprised, stopping. Kratos turned, but she waved him on, "I'll meet you outside."

"_I know you told me to stay here, but I want to at least come out there and help for a little while."_ Yuan answered.

"Okay, answer me this, then. How do you plan to get to Tethe'alla? Mithos is in control of all the transfer systems right now, and do you really think he'll let you just waltz through?" Martel asked.

"_It's worth a shot, Martel."_ Yuan said, _"I'm coming out there. You can't stop me now, since I already worked everything—"_

"Except the transfer thing," Martel interrupted.

"_Everything except the transfer thing out."_ Yuan acquiesced.

Martel sighed, "Fine. But Raine will kill you if you can't get back to those kids in time, I hope you realize."

"_I know, Mar."_ Yuan said, _"I'll make it work."_

Martel sighed again, overly dramatic, "Fine. See you soon, then?"

"_Yep. See you."_

Martel closed her communicator and rolled her eyes, flying ahead to catch up with the others.

"What did Yuan want?" Kratos asked.

"He's on his way out here." Martel grumbled, "He said he worked it out and found someone to cover him for a week out in Iselia, so he's coming out here to at least help for that week."

"He found someone to cover him, though?" Raine asked.

"That's what he said," Martel nodded. "But feel free to do whatever you like to him when he gets here."

Anna laughed, "Raine'll knock some sense into him."

Raine smirked, and Anna's laughter got harder.

* * *

Anticlimactic, short chapter ahoy! Late one too. Oops.

Well, my explanation is that this chapter was like pulling teeth. But I did it.

But here's good news! This story and the prequel (Destiny's Fortune), as well as any side stories (namely Fortune's Fate) are all being compiled and written as part of JulNoWriMo. Essentially, I've cut the total needed for the month in half to 25000 words, and I'm writing these three stories to try and reach that goal. This means more chapters for you! (And headaches for me, probably.)

Also, Destiny's Fortune is now up! It's the story of Mithos, Martel, Yuan, and Kratos in the time of the Kharlan War, so check it out! :D It currently features three-year-old Martel.

Okay guys, see you next chapter. Not giving you a time, but seeing as I have to write 800 words of story a day, it'll probably be soon.


	45. Blue

Sheena wasn't sure how she felt about having her mother along with them as they made the trek towards the Shadow Temple. She knew that Amia had to be with them, of course, and she wasn't upset she was there, or anything, but she felt like she had to be more careful of her actions around her mother.

Then again, Lloyd had his parents with him for the majority of their journey in both worlds and he was doing fine. Glancing over at him, she opened her mouth to ask him how he handled it, but quickly shut it again. She was being stupid, she didn't need to ask him that.

"You okay?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm fine." She insisted, smiling at him, "Just… tired, I guess."

"I think we're stopping soon for the night." Lloyd said, glancing towards where Raine, Kratos, Anna, and Amia were walking a short ways ahead of the group, talking quietly.

Sheena nodded, "I hope so. I'm getting tired."

Kratos glanced back at them, "Do you think you can make it a little further?" he asked. Sheena jumped, surprised he'd heard her, but then remembered that he was an _angel_ and of_ course_ he could.

She nodded hurriedly, "Yeah, I'm fine right now." She promised.

Kratos nodded, and turned back to his conversation. Sheena glanced sidelong at Lloyd, who had a smirk on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Sorry, my dad does that to me all the time." He said, "It's pretty much impossible to hide anything from him, Martel, or my mom. Yuan's a little easier to fool."

"Don't let him hear you say that." Martel laughed, without even turning around.

Lloyd grinned.

"Hey, Lloyd?" Genis asked him. Lloyd glanced over, and he continued, "What was it like growing up with angels as parents?"

"Well…" Lloyd trailed off, noting his mother laughing, even though she didn't turn around. He knew whatever they were talking about was _not _that funny. "Mom wasn't an angel until I was older." He said, "Dad, though… You know how I never got away with _anything_?"

Genis nodded, laughing as he remembered.

"Yeah." Lloyd chuckled, "That's why."

"It makes more sense now." Genis said, "Also makes more sense why _I_ never got away with anything either."

"Apparently dad was a troublemaker or something as a kid and didn't want me following in his footsteps." Lloyd shrugged. Kratos glanced over his shoulder to give Lloyd a look, but stayed silent as Lloyd grinned at him.

"It's hard imagining Kratos being a troublemaker." Zelos admitted honestly. "And I don't really know him that well."

"Yuan's told me stories." Lloyd smiled.

"Kratos _being_ a kid is hard to imagine, never mind him being a troublemaker." Sheena laughed. She noted that Anna laughed as well, but had no way of knowing if her mother had said something funny or if Anna was listening in.

XXXX

It was less than an hour later that Kratos called back to them to let them know that they were going to stop for the night. They'd made it into a small, wooded area that would provide better coverage—apparently he was worried about them getting spotted at night.

As they set up camp, Anna walked over to her son, "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine." Lloyd promised, "Things aren't as awkward anymore."

Anna laughed, "I noticed. Feel free to tell them some of Kratos's childhood stories. I give you permission, even if he wouldn't."

Kratos gave her a look from across the campsite that wasn't _exactly_ a glare, but was as close as he ever got with his wife, and she laughed again.

"I'll keep that in mind." Lloyd grinned.

"Good." Anna smiled. "Once Yuan gets here tomorrow, Martel said she wanted to talk to both of them about something, so they're going to disappear for a little bit. I'm sticking around in case we need to make a very quick getaway, but we shouldn't have any problems."

"Is everything okay?" Lloyd asked, surprised. Martel wouldn't risk any suspicion unless she felt it was necessary.

Anna nodded, "Yes. Everything's fine." She promised.

Lloyd nodded and didn't press the subject.

"We'll continue to head towards the temple while they talk, and if we're lucky, it shouldn't take too much longer to get there." She said, "They'll meet up with us when they're finished."

"Alright." Lloyd said. Anna smiled, and left to join her husband.

XXXX

Before anyone was really awake the next morning, save for Kratos, who had stayed up to be the night watch, Yuan showed up. Being Yuan, the first thing he did was dump a glass of water over Martel.

She shot up, wiping the water out of her eyes and snapping, "Yuan!"

This startled Anna out of her slumber, sitting up and immediately grabbing her katar to defend herself. Seeing that it was only Yuan, she yawned.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake everyone up." Yuan chuckled.

"But you meant to wake me up." Martel grumbled.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Martel glared at him. Anna yawned again, "I'm going back to sleep, then."

"Sorry, Anna." Yuan chuckled. Anna just put her katar down and rolled over, falling asleep.

Martel sighed, yawning herself, and got up, stretching, "I need to talk to you two." She said, glancing between Yuan and Kratos. Kratos, who had been aware that this little chat was going to happen, simply nodded. Yuan just blinked. "Anna?" the green haired angel called, glancing over at Anna's prone form.

Anna groaned, sitting up, "Fiiiine. I'll fill them in when they wake up. But you seriously owe me for interrupting my sleep, Yuan."

Yuan decided not to remind her that she didn't actually _need_ to sleep.

"Thanks, Anna." Martel smiled. In a flurry of feathers, Yuan, Kratos, and Martel vanished. Anna sighed and laid back down, staring at the stars as she took over night watch.

XXXX

Raine was the first to wake up the next morning, and the first thing she did was notice the lack of Martel and Kratos. Before she could ask, Anna spoke up. "Martel needed to talk to him." She said, "Yuan got here really early this morning and they headed off to have a little chat."

Raine frowned, but Anna didn't let her speak. "Martel's aware that she's raising suspicion by doing this, but she needs to speak with them. She'll fill you all in when they get back. We're going to keep heading towards the temple and they'll catch up with us when they're done talking."

Raine sighed, "Alright."

Anna smiled, "How'd you sleep?" she asked, trying to make conversation.

XXXX

"Are you sure Mithos will fall for that?" Yuan asked, frowning and glancing at Kratos.

"I have no idea." Martel admitted, "But we need to try. I can't do it myself, because he _knows_ I'm refusing to go back there until he comes to his senses. But one of the two of you could." She bit her lip, "I don't like asking you to do this, but… if one of us isn't feeding the seed, it'll die."

Yuan chuckled, patting the girl on the head, "Who are you kidding? You love asking us for stuff."

Martel managed a weak smile. "So…?"

"I'll go." Kratos nodded, "Yuan has to go back to Iselia eventually, and Mithos will catch on when that happens. Speaking of, Yuan, how _did_ you get here?"

"Well, I teleported up there." Yuan gestured absentmindedly to the sky, "And then took a transfer down as fast as possible. I don't think he even noticed me. Derris Kharlan was surprisingly quiet. Aren't Pronyma and Remiel still up there?"

"Remiel escaped." Martel rolled her eyes, "He fled as soon as he could. He never was the bravest man. Who knows where he is now, but I don't think we'll be hearing anything from him for awhile."

Yuan chuckled. "And Pronyma?"

"She's still there." Martel nodded, "When I left, I was going to bring her with me, but she said she would stick around and keep an eye on things. I'm not sure Mithos knows she's there, though, since Derris Kharlan is so big and he doesn't really know his way around."

"I'll try and keep it that way." Kratos said, "I'm going to head up now."

"You're not going to tell Anna?"

"I'll call her later and explain." Kratos answered, "The longer I stay here, the more suspicious Mithos will be when I get back there."

Martel sighed, "Yeah…"

Kratos rested a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay."

"I hope so." Martel nodded.

Kratos took a step back, his wings spreading from his back, "I'll contact you as soon as I can."

Martel nodded again, and Yuan waved. Kratos vanished.

XXXX

Welgaia was quiet. This wasn't unusual, but with Martel living there, Welgaia was hardly ever _this_ quiet. As Kratos walked through the city, he felt like he was the only one there. He had no idea where to start looking for Mithos, but he figured that since Martel had said that Mithos didn't really know his way around too well, the area near the seed and the computer room was a good place to start.

He headed down the hallway on the way to the computer room, catching a glimpse of yellow out of the corner of his eye. Taking a step back, he pushed the door open to see Mithos curled into a ball on the bed in the corner of the room. Taking a step in, he spoke.

"Mithos?"

He glanced up at Kratos, sniffling and opening vividly blue eyes. Kratos's eyes widened and he spoke again, "_Colette?_"

"Kratos…" she said, sniffling again.

"Colette." Kratos said, walking over, "How…"

He was cut off by Colette launching herself into his arms and sobbing into his chest. Having no other ideas of what to do, Kratos just readjusted her position and let her cry.

* * *

I lost my timeline for this story. XD It's okay, it's wrong right now anyway, since I added the Gnome/Shadow twist. Still should find that. Review?


	46. Modified

Martel and Yuan caught up with the group as they stopped to camp for the night.

"Where's Kratos?" Anna asked, surprised when her husband's two closest friends came back without him.

"He went back to Derris Kharlan. He's going to attempt to deceive Mithos into thinking that he's still allied with him in order to keep feeding the seed. If the seed isn't given mana, it won't survive." Yuan explained.

"I see…" Raine frowned.

Anna huffed, "He at least could have mentioned this to me."

Martel sent her an apologetic smile, "He said he'd call you later."

As if on cue, Martel's communicator started to beep. Pulling it out, she flipped it open, letting everyone listen. "Kratos?"

"_Colette is in control of her body."_

Lloyd's eyes widened, "What? How?"

"_She's not in any condition to explain at the moment, but she is undoubtedly Colette."_ Kratos said, _"She's resting. I will speak with her when she awakes."_

"In Meltokio!" Martel suddenly said, "Mithos just ran, remember? She must have taken back control then!"

"_That does explain it. And why Yuan was able to get through Derris Kharlan without hearing a peep out of him."_

"But how long can she keep control?" Martel asked, "Can she use the sword?"

"_I'll ask her when she wakes up." _Kratos promised, _"I just wanted to inform you. I should go, but I'll call as soon as I have answers."_

"Thank you, Kratos." Martel said, shutting her communicator and slipping it back into the pocket in the fold of her tunic.

"So, Colette has control again, somehow." Raine frowned.

"It seems that way." Martel nodded, sighing, "I didn't think it was possible. I mean, not that I'm not happy that she's taken control, but it makes me wonder what we didn't factor into our planning." She glanced at Yuan.

"Will you… explain to me exactly how you revived Mithos inside of Colette?" Raine asked. There was the slightest hint of intellectual curiosity in her voice that was overpowered mostly by worry.

"Sure." Martel nodded, "Basically… the soul and the body exist separately, and can, in fact, exist without one another under certain circumstances. Mithos, Yuan, Kratos and I got our Cruxis Crystals during the war, and when Mithos's body was killed, his soul retreated into his Crystal, sustaining his life." Martel glanced at Raine to see if she understood, and was greeted with several pairs of curious eyes instead of just Raine's.

She paled, "Er… I didn't know you were all this interested."

"As…" Amia paused, contemplating her words, "Horrible as Colette losing her body is, the entire process is rather interesting. Crystals are more Kaley's thing… but I would like to listen."

Martel smiled, "Alright. I'll do my best. We attached Mithos's Cruxis Crystal to the slowly dying Great Seed, and found that the two were able to feed each other—which is what has sustained Mithos's soul within the crystal this long, but also what has sustained the seed this long. The crystal we attacked to Colette was… different than a normal crystal, and instead of simple causing an angelic transformation, it was feeding off of her consciousness—her soul—which was the reason the transformation took so long, was so painful, and took away what it did."

"So, where Mithos's soul went into his crystal in self defense, Colette's was forced in?" Raine asked.

Martel nodded, "Right. A body can survive without a soul for as long as it can survive without eating, drinking, and sleeping. For a human, elf, or half elf, this time is pretty short, but… for an angel it's indefinite."

"Which is why Colette was able to survive without her soul when we escaped the Renegades, right?" Lloyd asked.

"Right. To get Mithos's soul into Colette's body, we simply had to force his consciousness out of his Cruxis Crystal and into hers. Her Cruxis Crystal was only holding Colette's soul captive, and Mithos's was free to take control of the body." Martel explained, "Except somehow she's taken control back."

"I see…" Raine frowned, "This is all very… strange."

"Is Collin's crystal changed in the same way that Colette's is?" Amia asked, "I mean—if Collin was to put his crystal on, would it subdue his soul?"

Martel shook her head, "No. And the crystal in the Martel Temple that Colette had wouldn't have either. When Remiel went to start Colette's transformation, he switched the crystals. It's a failsafe, just in case someone else gets their hands on the crystal somehow. The crystal Collin has is a normal one."

Amia visibly relaxed, "Oh. Good."

"Did Dad put the crystal on?" Zelos asked, surprised.

"No, no." Amia said, "But he had been considering it, a long time ago."

Zelos sighed, "He doesn't have any good reason to put that stupid crystal on."

Amia smiled softly, "I know."

XXXX

Kratos knocked softly on Colette's room's door. Hearing no answer, he slowly pushed the door open. Colette was still fast asleep, curled up in the bed.

Unfortunately, as much as Kratos wanted to let her sleep, he needed answers. Walking over to the bed, he softly woke her.

"Colette?"

She blinked a few times, yawning, before her blue eyes looked up at him, "Kratos? Oh, good morning."

"How are you feeling?"

"A little sleepy still." Colette said, "But I'm fine."

Kratos nodded, "Why don't you change? I'll wait for you right outside. I need to ask you a couple of questions."

Colette nodded, "Okay."

Kratos left the room, letting the door click shut behind him. A few minutes later, Colette walked out.

"Uh, Kratos?" Colette asked.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Can we… walk around a little while we talk?" Colette asked.

"Of course." Kratos nodded.

As the two walked around Welgaia, Kratos began to ask questions.

"Colette, do you have any idea how you regained control of your body?"

Her eyes downcast, she sighed, "Only vaguely. I don't remember anything from… well, since the Tower. Just… blackness. But all of the sudden there was this… spike of something. Energy, or emotion, or… And I fought somehow. And then all of the sudden, Lloyd was pointing his swords at me and everyone looked angry, so… I freaked out and somehow teleported here."

"I see… so you did regain control in Meltokio." Kratos frowned.

"Meltokio is in Tethe'alla, right?" Colette asked.

"Yes… how did you know about Tethe'alla?" Kratos asked her.

"It's strange… I feel like I know more now, but I don't remember why." Colette frowned, "I don't remember why I know about Tethe'alla, I just do."

"Perhaps some of Mithos's knowledge is rubbing off on you." Kratos said.

"Maybe…"

"Colette, I need you to try something for me. Mithos can control a sword called the Eternal Sword." Kratos explained, "With Mithos's soul in your crystal, there is a chance that you will be able to as well."

"Okay." Colette nodded, "I'll give it a try. How do I control it?"

"We keep it in the seed room." Kratos said, "As long as Mithos has not moved it, it should still be there. Follow me."

XXXX

"So, how much longer will it take to get to Shadow, you think?" Sheena asked as they set off the next morning.

"A week." Yuan answered, "At least."

"Oh…" Sheena frowned.

"I wish we all had the ability to fly." Lloyd whined, "I feel like this would go so much faster."

"Well, I'm not letting anyone carry me unless absolutely necessary." Raine blanched.

"So you are afraid of heights now, huh sis?" Genis grinned. Raine smacked him.

"There's not enough of us to carry you there anyway." Anna giggled, "Besides, when you're carrying someone, you have to worry about dropping them, so it gets really boring. At least this way no one runs the risk of falling." She grinned.

Raine paled even further, "So you're saying there was a chance you could have dropped me."

Anna blinked, "No! I wouldn't have dropped you!"

Lloyd laughed.

"What's so funny?" Zelos asked him, ignoring Raine chastising Anna about flying. The brunette looked ready to spread her wings and bolt.

"Everyone seems… more relaxed now. Almost back to normal." Lloyd explained, "It's nice. I think they've forgiven us."

"I'm pretty sure they forgave you awhile ago, bud, but I'm also pretty new to the group." Zelos shrugged.

Lloyd didn't get a chance to answer because his mother dove behind him, cowering and using him as a shield.

"Don't put me in the middle!" Lloyd shouted, surprised.

"And you. Lloyd." Raine said, marching over to him.

"Oh no." Lloyd groaned.

"How is it that you have angels for parents and yet don't have wings?" Raine asked him.

"Er… well… Mom wasn't an angel when I was born. Dad was, but…"

"Lloyd heals faster than a normal human, and his senses are slightly advanced, but beyond that, he's shown no signs of angelicism." Yuan explained, trying to take some of the heat off of Lloyd.

"Lloyd has always healed pretty quickly." Genis nodded, "Even when we were kids."

Raine, looking a lot less like she was about to slip into mania, turned to Anna, "When _did_ you become an angel?"

Anna flinched, "Umm… Well…" she sighed, "If you don't mind, I'd really rather not talk about it. I know I shouldn't be keeping any more secrets, but… it's just a painful memory. If you'd like, you can ask Kratos or Lloyd to explain, but… I'd rather not talk or hear about it."

Raine nodded, "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Anna shook her head, "Don't apologize."

XXXX

Colette carefully approached the sword, reaching her hand out to grab it, but was violently thrown backwards, slamming against the wall.

"Colette!" Kratos shouted, surprised.

"I'm fine…" she said, groaning, "Just a little dizzy."

Kratos frowned, "That's a no on the sword, then."

"I'm sorry…" Colette frowned.

Kratos shook his head, "It's not your fault, Colette."

* * *

So, I gave up on JulNo. XD I participated in JulCleanBedroomMo. :P

Hey, it's clean…ish now. I have a lot of stuff to go through, but it's clean. Anyway, not the point. So, next chapter they reach Gnome! Woot. And after that, Presea's coming in. I have her entrance and Regal's entrance completely planned now, and I think you'll like it. Maybe.

Next chapter's at least half done. Will get it out soon, promise. :D Thanks for reading!


	47. Phobia

Shadow's temple almost blended into the two mountains it was nestled around—in fact it was almost impossible to see it from the road. As you approached and began to hike up the mountain that lead to it, you could see the domed roof of the pitch black building, and the spires that stuck out of it at random angles.

"Ah, Shadow's temple looks as creepy as ever." Yuan commented as they approached.

"Er…" Sheena frowned, "Look up there." She pointed to a window near the dome that seemed to be pulsing with multicolored light.

"What, is someone having a party up there?" Zelos asked, surprised.

Martel groaned, and Yuan chuckled, "The Gnomelettes, I'd guess."

"They're Gnome's…" Raine paused, trying to remember the way that Anna had worded it, "Minions, right?"

"Right." Yuan nodded, "Little bringers of annoyance."

"I hate them. I hate them _so_ much." Martel whined.

Raine frowned, "Hopefully they'll be preoccupied with their," she paused again, glancing up at the window, "Party, then."

Martel nodded.

"In the off chance that Shadow's temple isn't lit up, we can still use our wings for light." Anna said, "But, if that window is any indication, I doubt we'll have a problem."

XXXX

As it turned out, Shadow's temple _was_ lit up—brightly colored strings of light were draped across every open surface, creating a very bright and very colorful temple interior.

"Oh dear." Amia sighed, "Shadow's not going to like this very much."

"We'll deal with that when we get there. Shadow's down in the basement still, right?" Yuan asked her.

Amia nodded, "Last time I was here, yes."

"Then we'll start there." Anna said, "The sooner we get this pact, then the sooner we can switch them back."

"Right." Sheena said, taking a deep breath, "Let's go."

They began their trek through the temple. It was a lot less imposing when lit up like a Christmas tree, and it was rather easy to traverse through. The monsters that usually inhabited the temple for the darkness it provided were off cowering in what little darkness they could find and gave them absolutely no problems as they made their way towards the stairs.

"It's a bit of a long way down." Amia said, as they reached them.

"I'll fly down and make sure he's down there while everyone else rests, then." Yuan suggested. "I'll call up once we know."

Anna nodded, "Okay."

Yuan spread his purple wings and took off down the stairs.

XXXX

Once down the stairs, Yuan flew up to the altar, not bothering to land as he called out, "Hey Gnome! You around?"

The earth spirit appeared, "Heyyyy, Yuan! Finally! No one comes to see me anymore!"

Yuan sighed, "Maybe because you're in the wrong temple?"

"I didn't _want_ to switch temples any more than Shadow did." Gnome made a face, "This temple's so _boring_."

"Well, you have a summoner on her way to make a pact with you, so things will liven up soon." Yuan said, rolling his eyes and pulling his communicator out, hitting the button to call Martel.

XXXX

Martel jumped as her communicator went off. Lloyd glanced at her.

"I just really hate Gnome, okay?" she mumbled, flipping it open, "Yeah?"

"_He's down here."_ Yuan said. In the background, they could hear Gnome.

"_Is that Martel? Hey Martel!"_

Martel looked ready to burst into tears, "Okay. We'll be down soon."

"_Hey Mar, don't ignore me! Martel!"_

"Bye Yuan." Martel said hurriedly, shutting her communicator.

"I see he remembers you." Anna commented, amused.

Martel whined, "I don't like himmmm…."

"We know." Sheena said, chuckling, "He sounds… interesting."

"He is the most _annoying_ creature ever to exist in the _universe_." Martel huffed.

"Maybe we should leave Martel here?" Lloyd asked his mother.

"No!" Martel latched onto his arm, "The Gnomelettes might find me!" she shouted, horrified.

"You have to deal with one of them." Anna said, "The Gnomelettes or Gnome. Pick."

Martel sighed, "Gnome it is."

"Let's get going, then." Anna said, putting an arm over Martel's shoulders and leading her to the stairs.

XXXX

"Long way down" was an understatement.

"Please tell me there's a shortcut or a teleporter or _something_ down there to bring us back up and that we don't have to climb all this again." Genis said, halfway through the trip.

Amia sighed and shook her head, "Unfortunately not. It's good exercise, though."

Genis sighed.

Zelos chuckled, ruffling his hair, "_Maybe_ I'll carry you back up. Maybe."

Genis grinned, "Really?"

"Maybe." Zelos rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Zelos!" Genis grinned.

"I didn't know you and Genis got along so well." Lloyd said, glancing at Zelos, who shrugged.

"He reminds me of Seles. She's too smart for her own good and gets picked on a lot for that." Zelos sighed, "But with her being only 14… there's not much I can actually do to help."

Lloyd nodded, "Well, I'm sure she knows you care about her."

"Yeah, and she does have friends, they're just… not at her school. She spends every other weekend at the palace with Princess Hilda because the princess has taken a strange liking to her, and her best friend is an apprentice cook in the palace kitchens."

"Oh." Lloyd said.

"Yeah." Zelos shrugged, "But whatever. Not the point." He chuckled.

Sheena smiled, "Seles misses you when you're not home, you know. She might not show it, but she does."

Zelos smiled softly and was about to answer when Martel screamed.

"Martel?" Lloyd shouted, surprised, running over.

"Get _away_ from me!" A small voice that was definitely not Martel's cried.

"Oh, it's a Gnomelette." Anna blinked.

"Get her away from me!" The Gnomelette shouted.

"_Gladly_." Martel hissed, running to hide behind Lloyd.

Anna leaned down, "Are you alright?" she asked the small creature.

"I'm fine." It mumbled, scurrying away.

"That thing wasn't scary." Sheena raised an eyebrow, "In fact, it was kinda cute."

"That one wasn't insane because that's the one Martel punted when we came through her for Mithos's pact." Yuan said, walking up the stairs towards them. "I heard her scream."

Martel ran over to him, shaking lightly as he hugged her and muttering something about how much she hated Gnomelettes.

"It's only a couple levels more." He told the others, "I'm gonna take Martel down there."

Anna nodded, and Martel and Yuan spread their wings, flying away.

"Is Martel alright?" Raine asked Anna, concerned, "At first when she was speaking of the Gnomelettes, she mostly seemed annoyed, but not she seems honestly terrified."

"She's terrified." Anna confirmed, "It was long before my time, of course, but Kratos has told me about it. She had a rather traumatic experience with the Gnomelettes as a child that she hasn't exactly gotten over.

Raine frowned, "Perhaps we should have left her outside."

Anna sighed, "Too late now."

They made it down the final set of stairs, approaching the altar where Gnome sat waiting. Martel was sitting off to the side, her hands clamped over her ears in an attempt to block Gnome out.

"Alright, Gnome, time to stop taunting her." Yuan said.

Gnome glanced over at Sheena, "Ooh, a summoner."

Sheena took a deep breath. "I am Sheena. I request a pact with the spirit Gnome."

"Already got a pact with Mithos." Gnome made a face.

"I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact with me."

Gnome's pinwheel spun and he grinned, "All set! Now come at me!"

"No restrictions?" Sheena asked, surprised.

"Why would there be restrictions?" Gnome blinked.

Sheena sent a glance at Lloyd, who smirked, his grip tightening on his swords as he, Sheena, and Zelos ran in. Genis fell back, Anna standing in to cover him, and began to cast. Yuan swung his two-bladed weapon over his head, a spell circle appearing beneath him as well.

Glancing around at the six fighters, Amia decided that joining in would probably be overkill and walked over to Martel to keep an eye on her.

"_CYCLONE!"_ Genis shouted, blades of wind ambushing Gnome from all sides as a shouted tech from Lloyd sent him flying backwards. Yuan unleashed a scattered lightning spell, driving Gnome to move forwards, only to be slammed backwards as Lloyd attacked him again.

Sheena fell back, "Zelos, cover me!"

"Got it!" Zelos called back, swinging his shield in front of him and casting Guardian to block a stream of earth shards.

A summoning circle appeared beneath Sheena. "I call upon the heavenly messengers! I summon thee! Come, _Sylph!_"

The Sylph appeared, Yutis immediately smirking at Gnome as she and her sisters unleashed a barrage of wind spells at him.

"I give! I give!" Gnome whined, scrambling away from them, "What's with the ganging up on meeeee?"

"You said no restrictions." Sheena reminded him.

"Yeah, but Mithos fought me alone." Gnome huffed.

Yuan looked like he wanted to protest this, but Sheena spoke up instead, "So… can I make my vow?"

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead." Gnome sighed.

"I vow to always protect those who depend on me." Sheena spoke calmly.

"Sounds good." Gnome said, a pact ring appearing in front of her even though the spirit did not fade. Sheena grabbed it and slipped it on as the Sylph flew over to Gnome.

"So, by making a pact with both of us, you stopped the flow of mana on our link." Fairess explained.

"Right." Martel nodded, "We're going to have to be careful," she told the others, standing up shakily, "The hourglass system is set up based on the pacts."

"Is it going to be a problem?" Raine asked.

Martel shook her head, "No. If we're able to get the sword and germinate the tree, it'll be no problem at all. We just need to tread carefully."

Raine nodded, and Sheena spoke, "Thank you for letting us know." She told the summon spirits.

"Yep." Sephie nodded, she and her sisters fading.

"Gnome, wait." Sheena said as Gnome went to disappear.

"Hmm?" Gnome asked.

Sheena glanced at her mother, who smiled, waving her hand, "Shadow, may I speak with you?"

Shadow appeared, glancing around at the colorful lights that filled his temple before sending a very mean looking glare at Gnome.

"We'd like you to switch back now." Sheena said.

"I have no problem with this." Gnome said, inching away from Shadow before shouting, "Yo! Gnomelettes! We're outta here!" and vanishing.

Martel visibly relaxed.

"Shadow, if you wouldn't mind keeping the path lit until we're out of here, that would be great." Shadow nodded, and Amia turned to everyone else. "Alright, we're all set."

"Let's get out of here, then." Anna nodded.

* * *

Another pact down! They're gonna have quite a time of this—I don't have them scheduled to actually get the next pact until chapter… well, I'm not gonna tell you, but it's not for a few.

About Martel. It'll be explained more in Destiny's Fortune, when they get to the events, but she seriously is _terrified_ of the Gnomelettes. Think about what you're the most scared of. That's the Gnomelettes for her. She was seven when she had the "incident", and the reason Mithos fought Gnome alone is directly correlated with it (several hundred years later).

What's next chapter? A character introduction! (Finally. I was beginning to wonder if you guys thought I forgot the rest of the cast. XD)

No Colette in this one either. She's just kind of mulling around on Derris Kharlan trying to figure out what's going on. You'll see her next chapter.

Anyway, I was hoping you guys could answer a question for me. Besides the little Lloyd/Colette thing near the beginning of the story (which was, as I explained there, mostly Lloyd going "oh shit what do I do" and not love), and the married couples, I haven't been focusing on pairings. Would you guys want me to bring in more pairings, or should I keep things the way they've been lately? This story could go either way, it just changes how I decide to bring the character development about.

So, yeah, lemme know. Thanks for reading!


	48. Sleep

It was a rather easy walk back to Meltokio once the group was out of the mountains that Shadow's temple was nestled between. It was a little over a week later that the group finally reentered Meltokio. Yuan had left midweek to head back to Iselia, and had passed through Derris Kharlan, stopping by to see Kratos, but not showing himself to Colette. They still weren't sure if Mithos could hear what was going on around Colette while Colette was in control, and Yuan didn't want to blow Kratos's cover.

"Out of curiosity, Martel," Lloyd spoke up as they walked in through the main gates, "When was the last time you were in Meltokio?"

Martel frowned, thinking, "A thousand years or so?" she guessed, "Kratos handled Tethe'alla's mana lineage." She shrugged.

"It's been a _thousand_ years since you last stepped foot in this city?" Raine asked, curious, "How much has changed?"

"Well, Tethe'alla was declining then, so it's changed quite a bit." Martel shrugged, "Meltokio was a lot like Palmacosta is now, but without the water. The town revolved around the farms that lined the perimeter."

"Wow." Amia blinked, "To think of Meltokio's commerce revolving around farming is a little strange." She admitted.

"Yeah." Zelos blinked, "Especially since the town pretty much thrives just for being the capital now."

"We should get to the Inn and get our stuff settled there." Anna suggested. "Zelos and Sheena should probably go see their families as well, since I'm not sure when we'll be back here next."

"We have Celsius, and then everyone else is in Sylvarant." Martel frowned, "We have to figure out how to get everyone back to Sylvarant as well."

Sheena glanced at her mother, "That machine that you and dad built… what are the chances of it working well enough to send us to Sylvarant?"

"Reliably?" Amia asked, frowning, "Not too much. We've only got the return trip nailed down." She explained, "That's as simple as calling the magitechnology to itself. However, with trying to send the magitechnology somewhere else… it's more complicated. Both sending you there and sending myself there were accidents, though the second was an accident we were trying to make happen."

Martel frowned, "Well, there's always the Otherworldly Gate, I suppose." She said, "Though we may have to wait a few days for that to open, depending on when we're finished with Celsius."

"Seichi and I will work on the machine and see if we can make it more reliable." Amia promised, "And we'll keep in touch."

"Sounds good." Anna smiled, "Thank you, Amia."

"No problem. Thank you for bringing me with you to Shadow's temple." Amia answered.

"Of course!" Anna grinned.

"I'll meet you guys back at the Inn later." Sheena promised.

"Same." Zelos shrugged, "Gonna go find my parents."

"Alright, have fun." Lloyd said, waving to them both as they walked off, Sheena trailed by her mother.

Anna nodded, "Alright, now we should get a room at the Inn." She suggested, "And Kratos said he would call later tonight to give us an update on Colette."

XXXX

Zelos walked up the many stairs leading to the noble's quarter of Meltokio. His mind was on other things (namely Sylvarant, and how he would probably be going there within a month or two), and he wasn't watching where he was going, accidentally causing a collision with a pink haired woman.

She stumbled, but didn't fall over.

"I'm so sorry about that." She apologized frantically, "I wasn't paying _any_ attention."

"No, no, it's alright." Zelos insisted, "I was distracted as well. You're Presea, right?"

"Yes, that's me." The woman, Presea, nodded, "You're the Chosen's son?"

Zelos just nodded.

"I apologize again for running into you." Presea said, hesitantly, "My mind was somewhere completely different."

Zelos shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure I'll see you around."

Presea nodded, "Probably. It was nice to meet you."

"You as well." Zelos nodded, passing her and heading towards his family's house. Stepping up the front door, he pushed it open, "Dad? Kaley? Seles?"

"Zelos!" Seles tore down the stairs, pouncing at her brother, "Hey!"

"Hey, kid." Zelos laughed, giving her a hug.

Kaley stuck her exasperated head out of Seles's bedroom, "Welcome home, Zelos, but you have _horrible_ timing. Seles, it's bedtime."

"But Zelos just got here!" Seles pouted.

Zelos laughed, "Don't worry, I'll be here when you wake up tomorrow." He said.

"You promise?" Seles frowned.

Zelos nodded, "I promise."

"Alright." Seles gave him another hug before running back up the stairs to join her mother. Zelos settled himself down on one of the couches in the front room. Kaley walked down the stairs, joining him a few minutes later.

"Sorry about that." She smiled, "Welcome back, Zelos. Did everything go okay in Shadow's temple?"

"Yep, Sheena got the pact with Gnome and we switched them back, and we're gonna head to Celsius next, after resting for a bit." Zelos answered. "How have things been here?"

Kaley shrugged, "They've been fine. Seichi and I are working together on that machine of his and Amia's. He figured that if there were only four summon spirits here in Tethe'alla, the rest must be in Sylvarant, and that would mean you would all have to get there."

"Amia was actually just talking about that." Zelos chuckled. "Where's dad?"

"He's… around." Kaley frowned, "I believe he's at the castle right now, talking with the King about something."

"I ran into Presea on my way up here." Zelos said, "The woodcutter woman?"

"Oh, Collin mentioned she was here." Kaley frowned, "But they need sacred wood so rarely now, I wonder why…"

Zelos shrugged, "I'm sure he'll fill you in when he gets home."

"He probably will." Kaley nodded, yawning.

"You look exhausted." Zelos commented.

"It's been a long few days." Kaley admitted, "But I'm fine. I'll sleep once Collin gets back from his meeting with the king."

Zelos frowned.

"But you should sleep, you've been traveling for days." Kaley said, "Why don't you get some rest. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

Zelos nodded, "Alright. See you." he nodded, standing up and heading up the stairs to his bedroom. When he entered, he shut the door softly behind him before plopping face first on his bed and sighing contentedly.

XXXX

"Are you leaving?" Colette asked, surprised, hesitating by the teleporters that would lead Kratos out of Derris Kharlan.

"Only for a little bit." Kratos nodded, "I'll be back soon."

"Take me with you!" Colette said, "I don't want to stay here by myself."

"Colette, I need you to stay here and stay safe. I'll be two hours, and then I will be back here." Kratos promised.

"Kratos, please!" Colette begged.

"Colette…"

"Kratos!"

Colette suddenly stiffened, faltering in her begging, before looking up at Kratos with red eyes. "Oh, finally."

Kratos frowned, "Mithos?"

"What are you doing here, Kratos?" Mithos asked, frowning at him, "I thought you betrayed me like my sister." He spat.

Kratos shook his head, "Of course not. I've come to help you."

Mithos smiled, "Good… that's good. Come, I have a lot to tell you." He turned and started to walk towards the part of Derris Kharlan that he knew. Kratos glanced back at the teleporter before turning and following him, vowing to somehow get a message to Anna and explain what had just happened.

* * *

And there you have it! So, school starts for me on Tuesday, and I don't know how much writing I'll be able to do during school, but I will try very hard not to vanish off the face of the earth. Feel free to poke me, though. Thanks for reading!


	49. Inferior

"What the hell kind of core system are you guys _running_ up here? It's slow as hell!" Mithos grumbled.

Kratos rolled his eyes. "We've tried fixing it. We failed."

"Obviously." he mumbled. "Ugh. I'm going to take a walk-call me when it's over."

He stood up, leaving the room. When the door clicked shut behind him, Kratos lifted his hand from the flashing button he'd hurriedly covered a moment earlier. Pressing it, he spoke.

"Kloitz?"

"_Oh, good-you guys didn't turn to stone, or something."_

Kratos raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"_Virginia and I haven't heard a __thing__ out of you in weeks."_

"My apologies. Things have been busy."

"_Ah, well, I'm sorry for the news I'm about to give you, then."_

Kratos frowned, "What is it?"

"_Kvar's back to his old tricks. Captured a young couple from their caravan. I managed to get the male out of the base, but the girl's going through the preliminaries of the experiment he had Anna under. No idea where he got the files or enough information to even try and reproduce the experiment, but he's determined."_

Kratos cursed loudly.

"_I'm delaying him as much as I can-missing piece here, unplugged tech there, but I can only do so much. Plus, the guy's gonna wake up with no idea where he is in the middle of Flanoir in the snow. Can someone pick him up?"_

"I think Martel's in the area, I'll call her."

"_Why not just send Remiel?"_

"Remember how I said things are busy?" Kratos asked, "Assume that it's just Martel, Yuan, and I for now."

"_Pronyma?"_

"Otherwise occupied."

"_Well, shit."_

"Get in touch with Virginia; tell her not to call the Derris Kharlan line. Call me or Martel directly, Yuan if you can't get either of us. The same goes for you."

"_Alright._"

"Send me the coordinates of the man; I'll send them on to Martel." Kratos said, typing to encrypt the incoming line.

"_Sending. And helping me with the girl?"_

"I'll be back in touch. Do what you can. Coordinates received. Thanks, Kloitz."

"_Of course. Talk to you soon."_

The connection cut out. Forwarding the coordinates to Martel before shutting down his console, Kratos left the room and called Martel on his personal communicator as he headed towards the transporters.

"Martel? I've just sent you some coordinates. We have a problem."

"_What sort of problem?"_

"A Kvar sort of problem."

XXXX

From camp a good 500 feet away, Lloyd could hear Martel's loud curse. He jumped, glancing at his mother, who was zoned out, listening to the conversation.

Nudging her, he snapped her out of it. "What's going on?"

"She's talking too fast, I can't really understand her. She's completely frantic, though." Anna frowned.

"So, nothing good." Lloyd translated.

"Exactly." Anna sighed, refocusing. Genis glanced over at Lloyd.

"How far can your mom _hear_? Martel's pretty far away." he asked.

"We've never really tested it." Lloyd shrugged. "Pretty far, but the faster you talk, the harder it is to comprehend."

"That's sort of true no matter the distance, though." Sheena added.

"Mmm, true."

"Well, if you inherited any of it, it definitely didn't help you listen in class." Raine rolled her eyes.

Lloyd shot her a grin as Martel flew over, a flurry of feathers.

"Anna, you and I have to go. We're the only two who can get there fast enough."

"Where?" Anna frowned, standing up and brushing the snow off her pants.

"I'll explain on the way-we don't have much time. Lloyd, here," she tossed over her communicator.

Lloyd caught it, realizing it was still connected.

"Talk to Kratos-he'll explain. Anna, come _on_." Martel grabbed the brunette's hand, launching herself into the air and dragging Anna with her. Anna adjusted, pulling her own wings out and flying after Martel.

"Dad?" Lloyd asked into the communicator.

"_Hello, Lloyd."_

"What's going on?"

XXXX

"Gin, over here."

The silver haired woman glanced over, catching sight of her husband in one of the small guard carts. She climbed in, and Kloitz shut the door, the cart immediately speeding off.

"Why the sudden call? Botta won't be pleased I used the transporter without permission."

"I can't have just wanted to see you?" Kloitz teased.

Virginia rolled her eyes, giving him a quick kiss. "So, what's going on?"

XXXX

"_What?_ How did he... Kratos destroyed his notes-that's why he wanted the exsphere back so badly!"

"I know." Martel sighed, "And the exsphere's still safe-Kratos checked-but he managed to restart the experiment, somehow. Kloitz was sure it was the same experiment. We have to save her husband before he freezes to death and then meet the others at the base." The 'before Kvar kills them' was implied.

Anna nodded, albeit shakily. "Right."

XXXX

"Dad said someone would be waiting for us at the coast." Lloyd said, all business and trying not to think too much. Kvar brought back uncomfortable memories, both recent and distant, and he didn't really want to focus on them. "We're not too far away, so we should make it there before sundown."

"So, let me see if I understand this." Raine said, "Kvar, the man who kidnapped us all from the Tower in Sylvarant,"

"And electrically shocked Lloyd to a crisp." Genis perked up.

Raine leveled a glare at her brother, who immediately shut his mouth. "Kvar kidnapped your mother when you were young and performed an experiment on her."

Lloyd nodded, "Right. I told you that before, though-that's the reason she had to become an angel."

Raine nodded, "And this experiment had something to do with something called an exsphere, which he was looking for when he attacked Anna, Sheena, Zelos, and Genis on their way to Flanoir a few months ago."

Lloyd nodded again. "The exsphere's on Derris Kharlan somewhere, though, so he wouldn't have found it."

Again, Raine nodded. "So, now he has some other young woman and is trying the experiment again, and if we don't get there in time, it could end in much the same way or worse?"

"Exactly." Lloyd nodded. "I know it's really out of the way-"

"Don't you dare apologize." Raine stopped him. "If we didn't want to come, we would have said something. Glancing at Sheena, Zelos, and Genis for confirmation and only getting smiles, she nodded again.

Lloyd smiled, "Thanks, Raine."

The coast wasn't as far as Lloyd had implied, and as they came up on a small dock, Lloyd noticed a woman standing there, waiting for them.

"Lloyd. Nice to see you less beaten up." she greeted as they approached.

"Thanks again for the save, Virginia." Lloyd nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raine flinch, and frowned.

"No problem." she answered, "Come on, we have to move. Is your father coming?"

"If he can get away." Lloyd responded.

"What the hell happened to make everyone so occupied? Last time I was there, everything was all smooth sailing." Virginia raised an eyebrow.

Lloyd shook his head, "Long story."

They piled into the small boat-it was a tight squeeze, but the body heat exchanged would keep them warm as they moved across the freezing waters. As they set off, Virginia turned to the others. "I'm afraid I don't know your names-we were moving so fast last time that we were never introduced."

"I'm Sheena, this is Zelos." Sheena introduced herself and her best friend, "Raine, and Genis," she gestured to the Sage siblings, "And you know Lloyd."

Lloyd caught Virginia stiffen, but her voice was steady, "It's nice to meet you all."

"So, how are we getting into Kvar's base?" Lloyd asked, "Last time, Dad and I made quite a scene, but he said to avoid that at all costs this time because we don't 'have an angel with us' or whatever." he grumbled.

Virginia raised an eyebrow, going to speak, but Lloyd shrugged and shook his head before she could. Giving him a look, she switched away from what she was going to ask. "Kloitz 'accidentally' left the left guard door open. We'll be going in through there. That'll take us in near the labs, so we should be able to get in and get out, provided that Kloitz has managed to distract Kvar."

"And if he hasn't?" Zelos asked.

"Then you leave him to me and Kloitz, get the girl, and get out." her voice was stern.

"But-" Raine went to interrupt.

"No." Virginia stopped her. "No arguments."

Hesitating, Raine backed down as the ship pulled up to the shore.

"Alright. Let's get going and hope it's easy." Lloyd said.

XXXX

"Why can nothing ever be easy?"

Lloyd ducked below a table in one of the lab spaces as lightning magic crashed over his head, igniting some of the papers on the table.

The infiltration had been easy enough-the door was unguarded and unlocked, via Kloitz. When they made it to the lab where the girl was being kept, however, Kvar was not as distracted as they'd hoped. The opposite, actually. Kloitz was unconscious and he was waiting for them. Despite Virginia's shouts to get the girl, a pink-haired woman who looked no older than Raine, and run, Lloyd and his companions ignored her, jumping right into the battle.

The only good thing, Lloyd noted, was that Kvar was destroying his _own_ research at the moment.

As Genis cast a water spell at Kvar, soaking him, Lloyd dove over to where Raine was crouched over an unconscious Kloitz, muttering something that sounded like she was pleading.

"Raine, how is he?"

"I can't tell!" Raine was the polar opposite of calm, and Lloyd had no idea where this sudden worry had come from. "He's not waking up, but he's breathing, and I just can't... I don't know!"

Lloyd nodded. "I'm going to get the girl out of her cell-I need you to get her out of the room and out of the base. Please don't argue-someone has to get her out, and as our healer, you're the best to tend to any injuries she has." Pressing his communicator into her hand, he continued, "When you're outside, call my mom or my dad, whichever one picks up, and explain the situation."

"And... and Kloitz?" Raine asked.

"Let him rest here-I'll make sure Genis keeps an eye on him while he casts."

Raine nodded. "Okay. Ready when you are."

"She's awake in there-her breathing's too erratic to be sleeping. I'll get her to run towards you when the cell door's open. Grab her and go."

"Right." Raine nodded.

Lloyd stood up, running over to the locking mechanism next to the cell doors to get to work, as his friends covered him and kept Kvar occupied. Sheena slid backwards with the force of one of Kvar's bolts and bit back a shout. _Why_ hadn't they ever gone back for Undine? She would have been incredibly helpful at this moment!

"Sheena!" Lloyd shouted, "Get down!"

Sheena fell to the floor, a blast of lightning exploding over her-a blast of lightning that most definitely would have not been fun to recover from. Crawling towards Lloyd, who had ducked to the ground as well, she spoke, "You can't get the cell open?"

"I'm ten seconds from smashing the damn thing." Lloyd admitted.

"Lemme take over-keep Kvar busy?" Sheena asked.

Lloyd nodded, hurrying past Sheena without a word, and diving back into the battle in her place.

Sheena was the only daughter of two researchers and was currently pursuing a science degree of her own, so she prided herself in being at least competent with machines.

This machine in front of her, though, was making her start to doubt any skill she might have. She completely understood why Lloyd was so close to just smashing it.

"Try 1636."

Sheena looked up, surprised. The pink haired girl within the cell, lying on the cot, had opened her eyes. She shifted painfully so she could see Sheena better. "Please. I think it's 1636."

Sheena nodded, typing the code in. The lock clicked open and the summoner threw open the door, running over to the girl to help her up. "Come on, we're getting out of here."

"Thank you." she murmured.

"What's your name?" Sheena asked as she helped her out of the cell.

"It's Alicia. Alicia Bryant."

Sheena turned surprised eyes on the woman, "Duke Bryant's wife?"

Alicia nodded, "Yes... is my husband alive?"

Sheena nodded back, "Lloyd's mom went to find him-one of the soldiers got him out."

Alicia nodded, trembling. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me until we get you out of here." Sheena answered. "Raine!"

The silver haired half-elf ran over, helping support Alicia. "I've got her. I won't be able to get her out unless you can get Kvar more distracted-Zelos had to get Genis out of the way-Lloyd and Virginia are on their way."

Sheena nodded, "Okay." The green ring on her right hand began to glow. "But get out _fast_, I don't see this distracting him for long."

Raine nodded. Despite her fear and pain, Alicia spoke up. "Be careful."

Sheena grinned, "Will do. Don't worry about me." She threw her hand into the air. "I call upon the heavenly maidens! I summon thee, come Sylph!"

In the confusion and frantic spell casting that followed the Sylph's summoning, Raine helped Alicia bolt towards the door and out through the cleared hallways. It wasn't until they were outside of the base, by the boat, that she threw open the communicator, hitting the button that would call Kratos.

"_I'm on my way down, what's happened?"_

"Kloitz is unconscious, Genis was hurt, and Zelos is trying to protect him. We got the girl out, but Lloyd, Virginia, and Sheena are fighting Kvar alone, and they're not winning."

Kratos cursed, _"I'll be there as soon as I can."_

"Thanks."

The connection clicked out and Raine pocketed the communicator. Turning to Alicia, she carefully held her staff over the young woman. "Stay still." Alicia nodded.

As Raine cast a healing spell, Alicia felt some of her strength return, but the throbbing in her chest didn't lessen. Raine carefully pulled Alicia's neckline down, eyes falling on the gleaming red jewel there. The skin around it was veiny and swollen—most likely infected.

"We need to get you to a specialist…" she murmured. "But I have no idea who that would be."

Alicia flinched, "Why did he choose _me_?"

"I have no idea." Raine frowned, "I'm so sorry."

Alicia shook her head, "No, no—thank you for getting me out before he could kill me." She pulled her knees up to her chest, "I hope Regal's okay…"

"Your husband?" Raine guessed.

Alicia simply nodded.

"I'm sure he's fine. My best friend went to find him." Raine assured her.

Alicia, trembling, nodded again. "Okay. I'm sure he's okay." She said, unsure."

"I'm sure he is." Raine insisted, casting another healing spell, to little effect. Alicia _needed_ proper medical attention soon.

XXXX

When the roof of Kvar's base was smashed in, Lloyd let himself fall back and stop fighting. He was exhausted, his limbs were aching, and he was pushing the limits of his strength. He could see his father's wings as he landed on the rubble.

"Kratos!" Kvar snapped, turning on him.

Lloyd scurried over to Sheena, Virginia, Zelos, and Genis, gesturing them towards the exit. "Zelos, get Kloitz out of here—Sheena, take Genis."

"We're not leaving you alone!" Sheena protested.

"I'm not alone, and besides, dad's got this now." Lloyd gestured at his father. "You guys go help Raine."

Sheena hesitated, but Zelos nodded, "Sure. See you soon."

Lloyd grinned, "Of course."

"Don't you _dare_ get hurt." Sheena snapped at him, picking up Genis and running for the exit. Zelos laughed and picked up Kloitz, "Man, this guy's heavy." He grumbled, hurrying after Sheena.

Virginia put her hand on Lloyd's shoulder, nodding at him, before running after the two humans.

Lloyd turned back to the battle. Kratos had Kvar plenty occupied, so he set to destroying as much of the still-intact research as he could. If by some chance his father let Kvar live through this, he wasn't taking any chances this time.

XXXX

"As usual, you come back to defend the inferior." Kvar hissed at Kratos as he launched a lightning spell towards the angel.

"Judgement." Kratos cast in response, the light pounding down towards Kvar. Despite himself, Kratos felt a twinge of pride as Kvar screamed. "Those that you call inferior, Kvar, are the same as those that you are fighting now. Would you call me inferior?"

Kvar growled, "And if I would?"

"Then you'd be sorely mistaken." Kratos flew forward, using his wings for speed, slashing the half-elf across the stomach. Kvar stumbled backwards, clutching at his bleeding chest.

"So, you're just going to kill me now? You'll never save the girl if you do that!" he snapped.

Kratos slashed across Kvar once more. "We have more resources than you could dream of."

Kvar choked, managing to mutter, "Resources or not, you won't save her."

Kratos stabbed him, piercing his chest and precious organs. "We'll see about that," he muttered, letting Kvar's dead body fall to the ground.

* * *

Aaaaand there you have it. I'm really sorry about how long this took. This was written in pieces over the course of the semester and I finally pulled it all together today. I'll try and update a few more times before the end of the summer!


	50. Inhibit

"Letting Martel and Anna leave without a communicator was not the smartest thing we've done." Raine sighed. Virginia had turned her own magic on Alicia to try and keep the girl as stable as possible, but the exsphere's infection was much worse this time than what she remembered happening to Anna. Kloitz had woken up, but wasn't any good with magic, so he'd settled for helping Genis bandage his wounds. At first glance they'd looked a lot worse than they were, but after a quick examination, Raine had settled for giving him an Apple Gel and resolving to heal him when she recovered from the barrage of healing spells she'd used on Alicia.

"Guys! Are you okay?" Lloyd ran over. Kratos approached from behind him.

"We're fine." Raine assured him, "What happened?"

"Kvar is dead." Kratos said, "We took some of his research with us, and destroyed the rest of it."

Lloyd cut his father off, "Again."

"Again." Kratos agreed, "I haven't had a chance to look the research over and see if there's anything in there to help us, however." He gestured at Alicia.

"I'll take a look." Raine nodded, taking the papers from him.

Kratos nodded, mutely, walking over to Virginia to help with Alicia.

"What do we do now?" Genis asked from next to Kloitz, glancing at Lloyd.

"We need to get in touch with mom and Martel, I guess." Lloyd frowned, "Mom and Dad know the most about the exspheres… hopefully one of them knows how to help her."

"Well, wandering around in the snow to try and find them isn't a good idea." Kloitz chided.

"Dad, how long can you stick around?" Lloyd asked.

"Not very much longer." Kratos frowned. "I snuck away, and I don't actually have a lie made up to get myself out of this one."

"What the hell is going on up there?" Virginia asked, "Are you ever going to fill us in?"

Kloitz perked up, "Yes, I'd like to hear this story."

"Martel will fill you in when we contact her." Kratos answered.

"Speaking of Martel, is she going to want me to stay here?" Kloitz asked, gesturing to the base.

Kratos shook his head, "I doubt it. With Kvar gone, this base is likely to fall into confusion anyway."

"Should I stay in Triet?" Virginia asked.

"With the way things are now, we could use both of you out of hiding, to be honest." Kratos said, "But talk to Martel."

Both of them nodded.

The group suddenly fell silent as Alicia suddenly shouted in pain.

Virginia quickly laid the girl down in the boat, "Alicia, what hurts?"

"The exsphere." She managed, "Pulsing."

Kratos cursed, "This isn't good."

"I'll go find Anna and Martel." Kloitz frowned. "We can't wait for them."

"Kloitz—" Virginia hesitated, but Kloitz shook his head, sending her a reassuring smile as dark reddish-orange wings spread from his back.

"You're—" Raine said, surprised, but cut herself off, "Never mind." She mumbled, "Everyone's an angel."

Kloitz sent her an apologetic smile, "I'll be back as soon as I can." He said, taking off into the air.

Raine sent Virginia a look, but went back to the papers in her hands, knowing that there were more important things than demanding explanations right now. Virginia hesitated before turning back to Alicia and casting a high-level healing spell.

XXXX

"Martel! Anna!" Kloitz landed in the snow in front of them. Anna was healing a blue-haired man, who was wrapped in one of their sleeping bags. "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine." Anna nodded, "Did you… what happened?"

"Kvar's dead, but the girl's condition is getting worse." Kloitz answered, "We need to come up with a plan or something—Kratos has no ideas."

Anna cursed.

The blue haired man sat up, "Are you talking about Alicia?"

Martel rushed over, "Be careful—you're not recovered yet."

"I'm fine." He insisted.

Kloitz nodded, "We are."

"I'll come back with you." Anna said, spreading her wings.

"Wait, take me to see her." The blue haired man insisted.

"I'm not sure—"

"Okay." Kloitz nodded. "I can carry him back."

"Kloitz!" Anna protested.

"If it was Kratos in this situation, Anna, would he stay behind?" Kloitz asked.

Anna hesitated, but sighed, "Fine."

Martel pulled her own wings out, the three angels taking to the air, Kloitz holding the blue haired man. "So, what's your name?" Martel asked.

"Regal Bryant." He answered. "Thank you for your help."

"Of course." Martel smiled.

XXXX

"From what I can tell, the reason the exsphere is affecting her like this is because there's nothing protecting her from it. These notes are very…" Raine paused, "Scatterbrained, but they speak of something called Inhibitor Ore that can be used to protect the wearer from the exsphere."

"Crystal mounts are made from inhibitor ore…" Kratos frowned, thinking, "We have to have them fashioned by a dwarf. Are you suggesting that a mount made of inhibitor ore will stop the infection?"

"That's the only conclusion I can draw." Raine nodded. "Do you have any more?"

"Not with us." Kratos cursed, "And I'm not even sure we had any extras on Derris Kharlan."

"We didn't." Martel landed in the snow. "And the dwarf that was helping us fell off the radar a few years ago." She cursed lightly.

"We need to find a dwarf, then." Kratos said.

Kloitz and Anna landed, putting Regal down. The blue haired man hurried over to his wife, who was still lying in the boat.

"Regal?" she asked as he grabbed her hand.

"I'm here."

She smiled softly at him, "I'm glad you're okay."

"Shh, you're going to be okay too." He insisted. "Do you know where you can find a dwarf?" he asked, "Please, I'll do anything."

"Dirk." Anna suddenly spoke. "Dirk—from Iselia! He'll be able to help!"

"But he's back in Sylvarant." Kratos said, "I can't sneak you through Derris Kharlan—Mithos is up and about at the moment."

Anna frowned, thinking.

"I can sneak you back through the Renegade base in Triet." Virginia said. "She needs to see this dwarf as soon as possible, and if she's going to live to get there, I have to keep healing her."

Anna nodded, "I'll take her, then."

"Mom, are you sure?" Lloyd asked, surprised.

Anna smiled, "Of course." Turning to Regal, she spoke, "Is that okay with you, Mr. Bryant?"

"Please, call me Regal." He insisted, "And yes. Anything you can do to save her." He turned back to Alicia as Anna nodded and began to make plans with Virginia. "Alicia, you're going to be okay."

"I love you, Regal." She spoke softly.

"I love you too." Regal smiled, squeezing her hand. "Is there any way I can come with you?"

Virginia shook her head, "I'm sorry—the fewer people the better."

Regal nodded, "I had a feeling. Please take care of her."

"We will." Anna promised. "Ready?" she asked Virginia.

Virginia nodded, "Yes."

Anna gave her husband a kiss, and gave Lloyd a quick hug, sending a reassuring smile to the rest of the group. Picking up Alicia, she nodded back at Virginia, heading for the base in the distance, not entirely pleased about revisiting it.

"Virginia—" Raine hesitated.

Virginia turned to her. "We'll talk when I get back. I promise."

Raine nodded.

"See you all soon." Virginia waved, squeezing Kloitz's hand before hurrying after Anna.

Kratos frowned, "I should probably return to Derris Kharlan before Mithos catches on."

"Mithos?" Kloitz echoed, his eyes widening, "Shit, guys, I know you said you'd explain later, but now I really need to hear this story."

"Martel, will you fill him in?" Kratos asked.

Martel nodded, "Of course. Get going."

XXXX

The boat ride back to the mainland was quiet except for Martel filling in Kloitz, and in turn, explaining things to Regal. When they reached the mainland, Regal spoke. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to stay with this group. At least until Alicia returns."

"Of course." Lloyd answered before anyone else could speak. "Happy to have you, Regal."

Regal smiled.

"What about me?" Kloitz asked, "I sort of followed without actually checking."

Martel giggled, "You can stick around if you want, too. I'm pulling Virginia out of the Renegades as soon as she and Anna return with Alicia. With Kvar dead and everything going on with Mithos, I really need you guys out here instead of in hiding."

"That's what Kratos said, yeah." Kloitz chuckled, "Alright, I'll stick around for a while too, then, if you don't mind."

"Of course." Martel chirped. "Well, we were heading to Celsius's temple before." She frowned.

"How far from here to the temple, do you think?" Sheena asked, "If Flanoir is closer, maybe we should stop there?"

"Flanoir's in one direction, Celsius's temple in the other." Kloitz answered, "We're best off heading straight to the temple, I think…"

Martel nodded, "It could take us close to a week to get to Flanoir and then to the temple, but the temple's only 2 or 3 days from where we are now." She made a face, "Traversing the Flanoir continent sucks."

"It's just time consuming." Raine agreed, "It takes twice as long to trek through the snow."

"Now you know how Seles and I feel when Kaley drags us up to visit." Zelos whined.

Sheena shoved him, chuckling, "Okay, temple it is, then?"

XXXX

"It's like a week's walk to Iselia from here." Anna frowned as she looked over the desert in the general direction of Iselia. "And I can't carry both of you."

"Leave Alicia here with me." Virginia said, "I'll call Yuan and fill him in. I have to stay with Alicia because she won't make it without healing spells, but she needs that mount as soon as possible."

Anna nodded, "Right. Be careful, okay?" she asked.

"You too." Virginia sent her a smile.

Anna smiled back, taking off into the air. Virginia slipped into the shadows of the Triet base, putting Alicia down temporarily and hitting the button on her communicator to call Yuan.

"_Virginia?"_

"Hey, Yuan. Anna will be in Iselia by noon tomorrow—has anyone filled you in yet?"

"_No. What's going on?"_

XXXX

When an angel with yellow-orange wings zoomed through the skies above Iselia, it drew attention. After all, the people of Iselia had seen glimpses of the purple winged angel and the green winged angel, but this yellow winged one was new. Yuan had trouble keeping his class calm after that.

"Do you think this means Colette succeeded?"

_Not technically._

"Professor Yuan, is Colette an angel now?"

_Ignoring the fact that I __do__ know, how do you expect me to know? _

"Is Colette gonna come back to visit?"

_I hope not._

"Does she live on the moon now?"

_You're closer to the truth than you think, kid._

"Do angels have four arms?"

_Do I look like I have four arms?_

"Do angels eat people?"

_What did you __teach__ these children, Raine?_

"Professor Yuan, can we go try and find the angel?"

"Yeah, maybe it needs help, Professor! What if it's in trouble?"

"Please Professor Yuan?"

That was when Yuan decided that dismissing class before noon was better than listening them ask questions he wasn't supposed to know the answers to. After making them promise to ask their parents for permission before they went angel hunting, he headed out of the village, deciding to try and find Anna.

He took the slow path through the forest, following the smell of Dirk's furnace to his home. As he approached, he noticed Anna sitting outside, head in her hands.

"Anna?"

She glanced up. "Yuan? Hey."

"Hey." He nodded, "Virginia filled me in. How's it going?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

She sighed, "Not so good. Virginia's spells are holding her over, but I had to leave her back in Triet and I'm terrified."

Yuan frowned, "The mount?"

"Dirk's working on it, but inhibitor ore isn't easy to mold." She sighed again. "I just hope Virginia can keep her stable until I get back."

Yuan put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Hope so." Anna mumbled. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching?"

"The kids caught sight of your wings." Yuan answered. "Couldn't calm them back down."

"Sorry." Anna chuckled.

"I don't mind the break." Yuan smiled, "How's Martel holding up?"

"She's putting on a strong front, but… well, you know Martel." Anna answered.

"Yeah." Yuan sighed as well, "My replacement at the schoolhouse starts soon, and then I'm planning to stick with you guys, if that's okay."

"Of course." Anna smiled at him, "We'll be happy to have you."

XXXX

The caves that surrounded Celsius's temple looked at natural as caves could get—of all the temples that Sheena had been to, this one looked the _least_ like a temple, anyway. The chill from the air hit the group as soon as they entered, however; where caves would normally be warmer than the open space outside of them, this one was a good ten degrees colder, if not more. It had taken two days to get to the temple and none of them were in any shape to fight for a summoning pact without some rest first.

"Maybe we should rethink camping here." Zelos shivered.

"Camping in the open isn't a good plan either, though." Raine hesitated.

"Celsius keeps her cave cold to keep out intruders just like us." Martel explained. She and Kloitz looked fine, but then again, their bodies could withstand much more extreme temperatures than human or elven bodies could hope to. "But there's a sanctuary not too far in, where she keeps the temperature higher—or at least there used to be. It was for aspiring summoners and people on pilgrimages."

"Let's hope it's still there, then." Sheena said through chattering teeth.

Martel quickly led them deeper into the cave. Around a bend that was not the regular path towards the spirit was a dimly lit cave with a fire pit in the center. Immediately upon entering, the temperature around them rose, the chill gone.

"Thank you, Celsius." Martel murmured, "We can stay here—it's secluded, so it's safe, and much less chance of us freezing overnight."

"Sounds perfect." Raine nodded, the group beginning to set up camp.

Once camp was set up, Martel wandered outside to call Virginia for an update, and Sheena, Zelos, Lloyd, and Genis pulled out a deck of cards to play their favorite nonsensical card game. Regal sat down to watch them, perplexed by the idea, leaving Raine and Kloitz sitting in silence by the fire.

"Hey, Raine?" Kloitz spoke up.

The half-elf glanced over.

"Can we talk?"

Raine hesitated, but nodded. "Sure. Outside?"

Kloitz nodded. Raine pulled on her coat, and looked over at her brother.

"Sis?" Genis asked.

"We'll be back soon." Raine assured him. "We're just going to look around."

Genis nodded, "Okay. Be careful."

Raine smiled at him and nodded, before following Kloitz from the cave and through the temple to the outside of the cave. They were silent for the walk, but once outside, Kloitz spoke up. "Virginia told me that you figured out…"

"What, that you're my father?" Raine asked, interrupting him. "It wasn't difficult."

Kloitz flinched.

Raine sighed, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Just… just tell me why. I was only eleven! Genis was a newborn! Why would you just _abandon_ us—"

"We didn't abandon you!" Kloitz cut her off, "We didn't. We never meant to."

"Then _what_ happened?" Raine asked, "The very _least_ you owe me is an explanation."

"I owe you so much more than an explanation, Raine." Kloitz murmured, "How much do you want to know?"

"Everything." Raine answered. "I'm tired of secrets, I'm tired of lies—I'm tired of finding out people are immortal angels." She snapped.

Kloitz flinched again.

"Please, Kloitz. Tell me everything."

* * *

See, I can still post two chapters in a week! :D

I know this sort of ends on a cliffhanger, and I didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry. It was just a better place to end it, so I just ended it. The explanation is next chapter, along with some summon spirit butt kicking. :D Also, news on Alicia.

I'd just like to take a minute to thank everyone who's been sticking with me despite my erratic updating schedule and massive lapses in updating. You have no idea how much it means to be that you're still reading, whether you review or not. It only took four years, but we made it to fifty chapters! Thank you all so much.

Anyway, let me know what you thought, and I'll update again soon. :) Thanks for reading!


	51. Chill

"We lived in Raliere—a hidden elven village off the coast of Altamira. Everything was great for awhile, but the Papal Knights found the town. We were alerted that we needed to evacuate, so everyone split up, heading towards different Elven villages. We decided to head towards Ozette—there was a small, developing village near there—but we didn't make it very far before the Papal Knights caught up."

Raine frowned, "Why were the Knights after us at all?"

"Humans used to leave elves alone, but the current pope suddenly started to hunt them down, invading elven villages and capturing elves. Any elven village he catches wind of is in danger. The captured elves are brought into Meltokio and Sybak." Kloitz explained, "Luckily, we tend to hear when a village is discovered, so they catch very few elves and half elves from our villages." He explained.

Raine nodded mutely.

"We were caught near a small outcropping of land by Altamira. They were trying to sink our boat, so we needed to get to land as soon as possible—we found ourselves at the Otherworldly Gate on the night of the full moon. The gate only opens on the night of the full moon, but when open, will transport you to Sylvarant. There were elven villages there as well, thought nowhere near as many, so Virginia and I decided to head to Sylvarant instead."

Raine frowned.

"Obviously, we didn't make it." Kloitz sighed, "The gate didn't open before they caught up. I fell back to distract them while Virginia tried to get you out, but, well, I was a researcher, not a warrior." He sighed, "Gin pushed you two through before the portal could close and was able to fight off the Knights with her magic, but there wasn't enough time for her to get me and get through the portal—you two were stranded. Gin couldn't cast any more high level spells—she'd exhausted herself—and the healing spells she could cast weren't working on me; I was dying. Luckily for us, Martel had been flying overhead and she caught sight of the dead knights and Gin's frantic healing. Long story short, she brought us to Derris Kharlan and the only way to heal me was to turn me into an angel. While I was recovering, Virginia went with Kratos to Sylvarant to try and find you, but they found you two settled in Iselia. With me as an angel and the two of us having nowhere to go, we decided it would be better to leave you settled in Iselia than uproot you two again and have you live on Derris Kharlan. Iselia was a heavily Cruxis patrolled town with the Chosen living there, so we knew you'd be safe."

Raine frowned, "Why didn't you ever come to us?"

"We had more than just Papal Knights after us once we got involved with Cruxis." Kloitz sighed, "We didn't want to drag you two into it—you were only children. After Pronyma found the Renegades' hideout, Martel put us both undercover there."

"And... and Kratos and Anna moving into town. Was that because of you as well?"

Kloitz shook his head, "Like I said, Iselia is a very heavily Cruxis-patrolled town. Kratos moved his wife and son there after the events with Kvar for the same reasons we left you there—it was _safe_. Anna doesn't even know the connection, just that there is one."

"I... I spent my teen years thinking I had done something _wrong_, thinking you had abandoned us because we were half elves—"

Kloitz put his hands on Raine's shoulders, "Raine, we would _never_ abandon you because you're half elves," he told her, "If we were really going to abandon you, we'd need a much better reason than that." He sent her a reassuring grin.

Raine managed a smile in response.

"You're as involved with Cruxis as we are now, Raine—the exact thing we wanted to avoid. I know Gin will tell you the same thing—human, elf, or half elf, you'll _always_ be our daughter, and Genis will _always_ be our son."

Raine smiled again, "I... thank you."

Kloitz pulled her into a hug. Startled, Raine relaxed into his arms and hugged him back.

After a moment, Kloitz pulled back and Raine spoke, "What about Genis?"

Kloitz frowned, "I'm... I'm being selfish here, but I'd like him to know. You did an amazing job raising him to be such a strong young boy, and there might not be room for a father in his life, but..."

"I'll go get him." Raine smiled.

Kloitz hesitated, "Are you sure?"

"Did you_ see_ him when you were helping him bandage his wounds?" Raine asked in response, "I'll be right back."

She walked back into the caves, the sudden chill helping her gather her thoughts. Walking into the warmer cave, she spoke, "Hey, Genis?"

He turned, "Yeah?"

"Can you come with me for a minute?"

Genis blinked, "Sure." He handed his cards to Regal and hopped up, grabbing his coat and pulling it on, before following his sister out of the cave. "Everything alright, sis?"

Raine smiled, "Yeah. There's just someone you need to meet."

Genis frowned, "All the way out here?"

"Well, you've already _met_ him." Raine chuckled, "But you need to meet him properly, I suppose."

Genis stared at her, "Sis, are you feeling okay?"

She laughed, "I'm fine, Genis... how much do you remember about mom and dad?"

Genis frowned, "I... well, I _don't_." he answered, "You know I don't."

Raine nodded as they stepped outside the cave, "Well... I know this will probably be a little difficult to believe, but I'd like you to meet Kloitz Safe. He's our father, Genis."

Genis looked at his sister, then at Kloitz, then back to Raine, before speaking, "What?"

"Kloitz is our dad," Raine repeated, "Virginia's our mother."

"But... then..." Genis frowned, "How?"

With help from Kloitz, Raine told Genis the story, from them being forced to run from the Pope, to Anna and Lloyd moving to Iselia. The pieces began to fall into place in Genis's mind as they explained it to him. When they were finished, he was silent.

"Genis?" Kloitz asked, hesitant.

"This is _so_ cool!" Genis grinned.

Raine smiled, relieved. Kloitz visibly relaxed.

"I have to tell Lloyd!" Genis grinned.

"Why?" Raine asked, surprised.

"Lloyd's not the only one whose father's an angel anymore." Genis grinned.

Raine laughed, giving her baby brother a hug. Kloitz put his arms around both of them.

"Virginia will be very happy." He spoke, "She hasn't really been the same since that day. Having you two back... she'll be very happy."

XXXX

When the three Sages walked back into the warm cave a few minutes later, Martel had her communicator open in front of her, Yuan's voice filtering out to the whole group. Raine quickly sat down, in silence, and Genis ran over to Lloyd.

_"Dirk's working as fast as possible and says he should be done by tomorrow at noon. When he's done, Anna's going to fly the mount back to Alicia and Virginia. I got a call from Virginia earlier, though, and she can't sneak them back through the Renegades base to get back to Tethe'alla again. She was caught as being a spy and had to flee with Alicia to Triet."_

"So, you don't know how they're getting back, then." Martel guessed.

_"Right."_

"Well, after Celsius, we have to go to Sylvarant anyway, right?" Lloyd asked.

_"Yes, but Alicia still needs to get back to Tethe'alla. Anna and Virginia can stay here and wait, but Alicia can't."_

"Right..." Lloyd frowned.

"I'll call Kratos. Maybe he can sneak her through Derris Kharlan or distract Mithos long enough for Virginia or you to." Martel said.

_"Right. Keep me posted." _Yuan said.

"Will do," Martel promised, "Thanks, Yuan." The connection cut and Martel tucked her communicator away.

Silence fell in the room. Finally, Martel spoke up, "We should probably all rest. We have to fight Celsius in the morning."

XXXX

"It is _way_ too cold to go swimming." Zelos said, staring at the water that split the way between them and Celsius.

"Celsius probably won't be pleased with us, but we can fly over." Martel said, "There's a special flower you're supposed to find and use to freeze the lake and then make your way over that way, but we can cheat a little."

"Okay, we'll take you over one at a time." Kloitz said, pulling out his wings and picking up Genis. Martel offered a hand to Sheena, who smiled and took it.

Once they had all made it over, they walked into the seal room, Celsius rising out of her altar as they approached.

"Hello." She greeted, "Martel, I ought to toss you into the lake."

Martel grinned at her, "Sorry, Celsius."

Celsius rolled her eyes, "Mhmm. Sure."

Sheena smiled, approaching the altar, "I am Sheena. I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact with me."

"My pact is broken." Celsius nodded, "And now we must fight. Bring as many as you like to the fight, but know that for every two fighters on your side, there will be one on mine."

Sheena glanced at her companions.

"She summons wolves," Martel offered.

"Stop ruining my surprises!" Celsius snapped at her.

Martel grinned again.

"Who wants to fight? I'd like to request Genis and Raine, in the very least." Sheena said.

The Sage siblings nodded, and Raine spoke up, "Of course."

"I'm in." Martel smiled, "I couldn't help with Gnome, so this is the least I could do."

"We didn't really _need_ help with Gnome." Lloyd chuckled, readjusting his grip on his swords and grinning at Sheena. Sheena glanced at Zelos, Kloitz, and Regal.

"Have you ever known me to back down from a fight?" Zelos chuckled.

"I'd like to participate." Regal nodded.

Kloitz just pulled his wings out.

"Alright, I guess it's all eight of us." Sheena said to Celsius, who nodded.

"Prepare yourselves." She spoke. Three bursts of smoke revealed three large wolves, and the battle started.

"I thought you were a researcher, not a fighter." Raine glanced at her father, as she fell back to cast support spells.

"I said I _was_ a researcher. Wings come with a few perks." Kloitz grinned, feathers flying off of his wings and soaring towards Celsius. "You cast, I'll keep your spells from being interrupted."

Raine nodded, "Right."

With Raine healing, Martel switched from her usual healing spells to offensive ones. She wasn't much of a lightning mage, like Yuan, and she definitely couldn't cast in all the elements like her brother or Genis, but she knew enough to hold her own, and she'd had _plenty_ of time to practice.

"Explosion!" she cast, grinning as one of the wolves burst into shards of ice as the spell hit. "Genis!"

Genis turned, "Yeah?"

"You and I can take the wolves, right?" Martel grinned.

Genis grinned back, "Yeah!"

"Hear that, Lloyd?" Martel called over.

"Loud and clear." Lloyd smirked, setting his sights on the ice spirit, who _might_ have paled a bit. (Her skin was blue, how was Martel supposed to know what pale was for her?)

Lloyd, Zelos, Sheena, and Regal all attacked her at once. Between their attacks, Martel and Genis's barrage on the wolves, and Raine and Kloitz's support, Celsius fell quickly.

As she stood up, Celsius managed a smile. "A worthy opponent. State your vow, summoner."

"I vow to protect those who depend on me." Sheena spoke.

"Vow accepted. Use my power well." Celsius faded from sight, a ring landing in Sheena's hand.

"Awesome, Tethe'alla's pacts are done!" Genis grinned.

"Great job, Sheena." Lloyd cheered.

Sheena smiled, "Thanks, guys."

"Yes, yes, happy cheers." Zelos said, "Can you _please_ asked her to make it warmer in here?"

Sheena laughed, concentrating on the new ring. Celsius didn't even appear; the air around the group lost its chill, becoming comfortable.

"Thanks." Zelos grinned.

"So, how are we getting to Sylvarant?" Lloyd asked.

"Let's head back to the warm cave and think. I'll call Yuan and see if there's news." Martel suggested, "To be honest, our best bet is probably the Otherworldly Gate."

XXXX

"Are you sure you can leave?" Anna asked Yuan, as they two of them dashed through the air, flying towards Triet.

"Yeah." Yuan nodded, "It's the weekend, so the kids don't have class again until Monday."

"Right. Sorry, I have no _idea_ what day it is." Anna grumbled, looking at the mount she was holding. She sighed, "I hope this works."

Yuan sent her a reassuring smile, "I'm sure it will."

XXXX

Virginia turned quickly as the door flew open, "Did you get it?"

Anna nodded, "How is she?"

"Fading fast." Virginia answered.

Anna hurried over to Alicia's bedside. "When I place the mount, you need to cast your strongest healing spell. After that, her body should do the rest."

Virginia nodded, "Ready?"

Anna nodded back, "3... 2... 1..."

"_Revitalize!_"

* * *

Who wants to take bets on how long this has been finished and untyped? Anyone?

Sorry, it's been one of those years. Good news is, I have quite a bit more time on my hands at the moment, and three chapters finished and untyped. So, here's the deal. My goal at the moment is to try and update this once a week, let's say... Sundays, since today is Sunday. Now, this might not be able to continue once I have a job, but I do have a three week headstart, so maybe I can build up a buffer. Either way, I'm going to do my best.

Thank you all so much for sticking with me, and I'm sorry this took so long. We're in the home stretch now, only a few plot points left. Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


	52. Frenzy

"Alicia?"

The pink haired girl forced her eyes open, squinting, "Huh?"

Virginia and Anna were sitting by her bed. Virginia spoke. "Can you feel any pain?"

Alicia's eyes widened and she quickly sat up in bed, "No—whoah!"

Anna caught her, chuckling, "Careful, you're still very weak."

"The... the exsphere?" she asked, carefully touching it.

"We don't want to remove it, in case there are any adverse effects." Anna said, "But with the mount, it should be harmless."

Thank you..." Alicia breathed, "Thank you so much."

Yuan nodded, "I'll call and fill in the others."

"Thanks." Anna smiled. "Then we have to figure out how to get Alicia back to Tethe'alla."

"Right." Virginia frowned.

"We'll talk when I get back." Yuan nodded.

XXXX

"Hey, Kratos. What's up?"

_"Run."_

"What?"

_"Martel, just trust me and get the hell away from Flanoir. Don't ask me how he did it, but Mithos is sending drones after you."_

"What _kind_ of drones?" Martel asked, surprised.

_"Angel drones. They're targeting you, Mar, so if you leave Flanoir, they won't even touch the city."_

"Head towards the Renegade base!" Kloitz suggested, "We'll catch up."

Martel hesitated.

"Go, Martel!" Raine shouted.

She nodded, her wings spreading from her back, and dashed. As she flew, she spoke into her communicator, "He must have found our store of crystals..."

_"No, he found the experimental rejects."_ Kratos said. _"I checked. The regular crystals are still locked away."_

"But then..."

_"Like I said."_ Kratos sighed, _"Run."_

"Do they take orders like the Chosens?" Martel panicked.

_"You can try, but I doubt it. They'll probably only recognize Mithos."_

"Crap crap crap crap—I can see them." Martel cursed. Coming up behind her were at least twenty angels with glazed over red eyes.

_"Mar, you need to keep moving." _Kratos said, _"I'm going to find Mithos and see what I can do."_

"Be careful!"

_"You too."_

The connection clicked out. Martel's eyes fell on the Renegade base in the distance and she took a deep breath, straining her wings to fly faster. Kloitz had gone back and confirmed the base had emptied out—the Renegades had either all gone to Tethe'alla or left; they hadn't much liked Kvar either.

Glancing back at the approaching angels, Martel took a deep breath.

She had an idea. A horrible, _horrible_ idea.

XXXX

"Martel?"

_"Hey, don't come after me."_

Kloitz blinked, "What? Why? Are you okay?"

_"Yeah, fine. They're after me just like Kratos said. But I've got a plan. Just don't follow me."_

"Martel... what plan?"

_"Kloitz! Just trust me and get everyone to safety! Head towards the Otherworldly Gate."_

"Mar—"

_"Please. Trust me." _Martel's connection blinked out.

Kloitz locked eyes with Raine.

"Go after her." Raine nodded. "We'll head towards the docks and you can meet up with us."

"You don't have a communicator." Kloitz hesitated.

"We have summon spirits. If we get desperate, they'll find you." Sheena smiled.

"Are you sure?" Kloitz asked.

"Go after her." Raine repeated, "You're the only one who can."

Kloitz nodded, wings spreading. "I'll catch up with you."

"Good luck."

"Be careful!" Genis shouted.

Kloitz smiled, and then took off.

XXXX

"I've never been great with computers..." Martel cursed, typing frantically on the machine in front of her. "Ah!" she grinned, "Okay, five minutes... set. Perfect."

There was a crash as the angels broke through the makeshift barricade she'd hastily placed in front of the Renegade base main door. She cursed, flying out of the room. "Teleporters... teleporters... God damn Renegades, where the hell are your teleporters?"

_"Four minutes."_

"Crap." Martel cursed, "Should have asked Kloitz." Her grip tightened around her communicator.

She could hear the angels getting closer.

"Well, at least they're all inside..." she mumbled, turning the corner.

_"Three minutes."_

XXXX

"With Celsius on our side, this trip is gonna be a breeze." Zelos grinned as they walked towards the docks.

"That's true." Sheena nodded.

"And Regal, you get to see Alicia soon." Zelos grinned.

"Yes, and I am greatly anticipating that... however, something about Martel's tone earlier is bothering me."

Raine sighed, "Yes... she sounded almost like she was... apologizing."

Lloud frowned, "I've known Martel since I was a kid, and I've never heard her like that."

"Maybe it's because of Mithos?" Genis asked.

"Maybe..." Lloyd frowned, but he didn't seem convinced.

They fell into silence. All of the sudden, their silent walking was broken by the sound and sight of a massive explosion in the distance.

"That was..." Sheena stared. "That was in the direction of the Renegade base!"

"Martel!"

XXXX

Kloitz rubbed his head; the explosion had knocked him backwards, and the fires were still blazing. Fumbling for his communicator, he quickly called the first button he could press.

_"Kloitz?"_

"Martel just blew herself up!"

* * *

Meh, I'm only a couple of hours late. Sorry about that!

This chapter's a bit shorter, but I couldn't resist leaving it here. Lemme know what you thought, and I'll see you next week. :)


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